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Property Law
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Property Law
Seventh Edition
Roger J. Smith
Pearson Education Limited
Edinburgh Gate
Harlow
Essex CM20 2JE
England
and Associated Companies throughout the world
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First published 1996
Second edition published 1998
Third edition published 2000
Fourth edition published 2003
Fifth edition published 2006
Sixth edition published 2009
Seventh edition published 2011
© Addison Wesley Longman Limited 1996, 1998
© Pearson Education Limited 2000, 2011
The right of Roger J. Smith to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by
him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
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ISBN: 978-1-4082-5261-1
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
16 15 14 13 12 11
Typeset in 10/12.5pt Minion by 35
Printed and bound in Great Britain by Henry Ling Limited, at the Dorset Press, Dorchester, DT1 1HD
Contents in brief
Table of cases xvii
Table of statutes lxv
Table of statutory instruments lxxv
Part I Introducing property law 1
Chapter 1 Basic property principles 3
Chapter 2 The central concerns of property law 11
Chapter 3 Human rights 16
Chapter 4 Trusts and equitable interests 24
Chapter 5 Property interests 34
Chapter 6 The role of legislation and registration for land interests 49
Part II General principles: creation and transfer of property interests 57
Chapter 7 Original acquisition of property interests 59
Chapter 8 The transfer and creation of property interests 95
Chapter 9 Formalities: rationale and trusts 131
Chapter 10 Formalities: estoppel 145
Chapter 11 The family home 177
Chapter 12 Purchasers: general principles and the need for registration 215
Chapter 13 Purchasers: registration of title 229
Part III Rights to enjoy land: estates and commonhold 287
Chapter 14 S uccessive and concurrent interests: introduction 289
Chapter 15 Joint tenancy and tenancy in common 293
Chapter 16 Trusts of land 311
Chapter 17 Successive interests 350
Chapter 18 Leases: types and requirements 356
Chapter 19 Leases: obligations and remedies 395
Chapter 20 Leases: parties and the running of covenants 430
Chapter 21 Commonhold 457
Part IV Other interests in land 463
Chapter 22 L icences 465
Chapter 23 Easements and profits 489
Chapter 24 Covenants 533
Chapter 25 Mortgages 556
Index 603
Contents in detail
Table of cases xvii
Table of statutes lxv
Table of statutory instruments lxxv
Part I I ntroduction 1
1 Basic property principles 3
1. What is property? 3
2. Ownership 6
3. Some basic distinctions 7
4. The new property 10
2 T he central concerns of property law 11
I ntroduction 11
1. What interests bind purchasers? 11
2. Creation and transfer 14
3. The rights of the parties 14
4. The effect on purchasers 14
3 H uman rights 16
I ntroduction 16
1. The Convention rights 16
2. Enforcement of Convention rights 17
3. Convention rights in the courts 18
A. Horizontal effect? 18
B. H uman rights in the exercise of proprietary rights 19
C. The impact of human rights on property principles 2 2
4 T rusts and equitable interests 24
I ntroduction 24
1. Trusts 25
2. The trust as a proprietary interest 27
3. Other equitable interests 29
4. Equities 30
5. Equitable principles today 32
viii Contents in detail
5 P roperty interests 34
I ntroduction 34
1. Land 34
A. Tenures 34
B. F reehold estates 35
C. Leases 43
D. Commonhold 43
E. Other interests 44
2. Chattels 46
3. Relative or absolute ownership? 47
6 T he role of legislation and registration for land interests 49
I ntroduction 49
1. The 1925 legislation 50
A. Restricting legal estates and interests 50
B. O verreaching 51
C. Registration of land charges 52
D. Assessing the 1925 legislation 53
2. Land registration 53
3. Other modern legislation and overview 54
Part II General principles: creation and transfer
of property interests 57
7 O riginal acquisition of property interests 59
I ntroduction 59
1. Finding 59
A. Things found on, in or under land 60
B. T hings found in chattels 65
C. Treasure 65
2. Adverse possession 66
A. Justifications for adverse possession 67
B. A dverse possession against registered estates 7 1
C. Requirements for adverse possession 74
D. The effect of adverse possession 83
3. Fixtures 87
A. General principles 88
B. R emovable fixtures 90
C. Is a right to remove fixtures a property interest? 92
8 T he transfer and creation of property interests 95
I ntroduction 95
1. Deeds 95
Contents in detail ix
2. C ontracts for sales and dispositions of interests in land 97
A. Complying with the 1989 Act 98
B. E nforcing contracts that do not comply with the 1989 Act 103
C. Conclusions as to the present law 105
D. Electronic conveyancing 105
3. Land 105
A. Transfer 106
B. C reation of interests 106
C. Electronic conveyancing 108
4. Chattels 111
A. Transfer 111
B. C reation of interests 117
5. Choses in action 117
A. Assignable rights 118
B. S tatutory assignments 118
C. Claims by the debtor 119
D. Equitable assignments 120
E. Creation of interests 121
6. Declarations of trust and equitable interests 122
A. Declaration of trust 122
B. T ransfer of equitable interests 125
7. Wills 128
8. Restrictions upon transfers 129
9 F ormalities: rationale and trusts 131
I ntroduction 131
1. Reasons for formality requirements 131
2. Resulting and constructive trusts 133
A. Presumption of resulting trust 133
B. T ransfers for fraudulent purposes 135
C. Constructive trusts: an oral promise by a transferee to hold on trust
for the transferor 137
D. Constructive trusts: an oral promise by a transferee to recognise the
rights of a third party 139
10 F ormalities: estoppel 145
I ntroduction 145
1. The nature and use of estoppel 145
2. When will an estoppel arise? 146
A. Representation or assurance 148
B. R eliance 154
C. Detriment 155
3. The effect of the estoppel 157
A. Use as a sword 157
B. T he remedy 159
C. Misconduct by the claimant 164
