Adverse possession, boundaries and party walls

This document contains key points and case case commentaries (from the CPI Update 2003 to present) covering the following issues and cases:

Ascertaining a boundary
Legal enquiries
Horizontal and vertical limits (Bernstein v Skyviews Ltd (1977) 241 EG 917)
Boundaries in leases

Land Registry Rules
The “general boundaries” rule.
Determining a boundary by agreement (Joyce v Rigolli [2004] EWCA Civ 79)
Land Registry plan requirements.
Determining a boundary by application.

Common law rules
Land adjoining a highway.
Land adjoining a river.
The hedge and ditch rule.
Land adjoining the foreshore.

Adverse possession
Claims to unregistered land –the traditional 12 year rule.
Claims to registered land – the 10 year rule in Schedule 6 LRA 2002.
Claims to registered land (based on a twelve year period of adverse possession completed prior to October 13th 2003) –the old 12 year rule and section 75 LRA 1925.
J.A. Pye (Oxford) Limited v Graham [2002] UKHL 30
Beaulane Properties v Palmer [2005] All ER (D) 413.

Other issues
Dealing with Crown cautions.
The Party Walls etc. Act 1996.
The Access to Neighbouring Land Act 1992.

Case Law Digest
Sandhu v Farooqui (2003) Court of Appeal, 3 March
Topplan Estates Ltd v Townley [2004] EWCA (Civ) 1369
Seeckts v Derwent [2004] NPC 51.
Herbert v Pegrum [2005] EWCA Civ 120.
Liaqat v Majid [2005] EWHC 1305 (QB).
Palfrey v Wilson [2007] EWCA Civ 94.
Derbyshire County Council v Fallon [2007] EWHC 1326 (Ch).
Liaquat Ali v Robert Lane [2006] EWCA Civ 1532.
Haycocks v Neville [2007] 04 EG 186 (CS).
Udal v Dutton [2007] EWHC 2862 (TCC).
Ofulue v Bossert [2008] EWCA Civ 7