Registration Terms
Below is a list of words & phrases that you may come across during the registration process. See also Latin phrases and Scots phrases.
Term | Definition |
---|---|
A non domino | From one who is not the proprietor; see also Prescriptive Claimant |
Absolute Accuracy | See Positional Accuracy |
Absorption | The merging of two interests in the same cadastral unit whereby the lower interest merges into the higher interest; for example, the renunciation of a lease. Not to be confused with Amalgamation. |
Abstracting | To draw information from deeds; to summarise |
Accuracy | Used to describe how exactly a map represents the real world. There are three different ways of measuring this on the Ordnance Survey maps - Positional or Absolute, Relative and Shape. |
Address | A recognised way of describing a place (or object) that identifies its unique location; for example, the name, number, street name, town & postcode of a house |
Affidavit | A sworn statement made before a Notary Public |
Agent | Solicitor |
Allodial | Historical term for land that was held without feudal superior; for example, Crown land, udal tenure, church lands etc This type of land holding has not been competent since abolition of feudalism (Abolition of Feudal Tenure etc. (Scotland) Act 2000) |
Alluvio | An increase in one's land from soil deposited naturally by the action of a river or on a shoreline |
Alluvium | The soil accumulated by the action of a river, usually washed from adjacent land upstream. The owner of the land that is increased by this accumulation is legally entitled to benefit from the new soil. |
Alveus | The bed or channel of a river |
Amalgamation | Addition of land to an existing registered title sheet by combining cadastral units (section 13(2)(a)) |
Application No. | Unique serial number given to all applications for registration |
Application Record | The application record consists of (1) all applications for registration that are, for the time being, pending; and (2) all advance notices that are, for the time being, extant (section 15) |
Assessed rental | Rateable value |
Assignee | The person benefited by an assignation in his favour of a security or a lease |
Back-up File | A paper file historically containing (colour) copies of deed plans, etc. kept as they may be of interest when registering nearby properties. Held in centralised support & stored under title number. Paper back-up files are no longer created; instead the information is added to the digital archive. Also, a type of Index Entry on the DMS (type BUF), that contains plotting of (e.g. boundary) information that may be of interest when registering nearby properties. |
Base Map | A set of topographic data (a map) that provides a framework upon which a user can create or display their own data. For example, the cadastral map held by RoS conventionally uses the Ordnance map as the base map (section 11 (6)). |
Base Scale | The scale at which a map has been surveyed, in other words the surveyed scale |
Benchmark | A standard or point of reference against which things may be compared. In a mapping context, a benchmark is a surveyor's mark cut into a wall, pillar or building and that is used as a reference point in measuring height relative to a known datum. |
Blench | A form of land transaction under the feudal system abolished by the Abolition of Feudal Tenure etc. (Scotland) Act 2000. A feudal holding where the reddendo was nominal (e.g. a penny if asked). |
Blueing-out | The conventional method for showing that all or part of a pre-2012 Act parent title was the subject of a feu. This was shown by edging & numbering the affected area in blue on the cadastral map. Feudalism as a form of land ownership was abolished by the Abolition of Feudal Tenure etc. (Scotland) Act 2000. Although it is no longer competent to register a new feu in the land register, many existing parent titles will contain blue-outs reflecting the extent of previous feus that have been registered. |
Books of Council and Session | Used for the registration of original, probative or holograph writing (in other words, a writing which is authenticated in a manner prescribed by the Scottish Law in order to acquire privileged status). It also serves as a safe deposit for important documents which might otherwise stand in danger of being lost. Photocopying was introduced to the Record Office in 1934; prior to this date all deeds were copied by hand into the record volumes. Because of this no copy was made of the plans attached to the deeds. However with the advent of photocopying it soon became the practice of photocopying all plans within certain dimensions (22 inches by 28 inches) as a matter of course. Therefore prior to 1934, or after that date if the plan did not meet the requirements for photo copying, the agents had the option to safe deposit, so to speak, either the original deed or a duplicate of the deed plan. |
Brace | A symbol in the form of an elongated "S", used (for example) on County Series maps, which when drawn across any line dividing two parcels of land served to unite them |
Breakaway Deed | A deed where the subjects are being dealt with as a separate entity for the first time and that will contain a full description (possibly by reference to a deed plan) of those subjects |
Builders Title | An application for registration of an area of ground by a builder (for example, Cala Homes Ltd), which will be developed into multiple units in the near future |
Burdens | Conditions or encumbrances affecting heritable property and imposed by a registrable deed. Upon registration, the condition or encumbrance is reflected in the burdens section of the title sheet of the property. |
Candlemas | One of the four quarter days in Scotland (the others being Lammas, Martinmas and Whitsunday). Candlemas was formerly 2nd February but is now (by statute) 28th February. See Whitsunday, Martinmas, Lammas. |
Cartography | The science or practice of drawing maps. It can include all stages of the process from data acquisition to the creation of a printed or digital map. |
Case | Any current and pending application for registration |
Certificate of Confirmation | A supplementary document certifying that confirmation has been issued and that the estate included inter alia a single item of estate which is specified in the certificate. The document empowers the executor of the estate to deal with the single item. |
Certificate of Title | Paper certificates, comprising land certificates and charge certificates, that were issued by the Keeper upon completion of a pre-2012 Act application for registration. No longer issued. |
Certificate Plan | The copy of the title plan included in the paper land certificate issued by the Keeper upon completion of a pre-2012 Act application for registration. Not issued for 2012 Act applications. |
Charge Certificate | A duly authenticated certificate of title issued to a creditor on the registration of a heritable security in a pre-2012 Act application for registration. Not issued for 2012 Act applications. |
Commencement Date | The appointed day on which a particular geographical area of Scotland became operational in the land register under the terms of the Land Registration (Scotland) Act 1979 |
Common Deeds | Deeds containing burdens or rights which affect more than one property |
Common Deeds Index (CDI) | A digital record held in the LRS that lists details of common deeds |
Common Deeds Index Sheet (CDIS) | A type of Index Entry on the DMS (type CDI), that contains plotting of the extent of common deeds |
Common Interest | An interest (for example, that of an adjoining user of a common wall) entitling the party interested in a say in the use of the thing |
Confirmation | The ratification by the court of an appointment of the executor of an estate constituting a title to take possession of, administer and dispose of the estate |
Confusio | Confusion or merging. Confusion is one of the ways in which an obligation is extinguished. Examples: If a debtor succeeds or otherwise acquires the right of his creditor, his debt is extinguished confusione, because he then unites in his own person both debtor and creditor; the fusion of landlord's and tenant's interest when held by the same proprietor. |
Confusion | See Confusio |
Consideration | The price paid by a purchaser for a property or an interest in a property |
Consolidation | The fusion of two immediately adjacent fees in a feudal chain when held by the same proprietor |
Co-ordinates | Pairs or triplets of numbers that are used to indicate the position of a point or line within a defined framework or grid. The position is given relative to a known starting point. |
Corporeal | Heritable and moveable property which are also physical objects (see Incorporeal) |
County Series | Record maps dating from approximately the end of the 19th century to the middle of the 20th |
Creditor | A person in whose favour is granted a standard security over heritable property as security for a loan or the performance of an obligation |
Currency | The level to which data is kept up to date |
Correction Case (CX) | Pre-2012 Act application type that was used when a land certificate to be resubmitted for correction |
Daily Running Number | Each deed recorded in the Sasine Register in a county on a particular day is allocated a number in order of receipt - this is the daily running number. This number can be found in the Minute Book for the relevant county & year, along with the yearly running number for that deed. |
Datum | The fixed starting point of scale or a co-ordinate system |
Dealing | An application for registration of a deed that either (a) wholly affects a registered title (for example, a Disposition of the whole property); or (b) partly affects a registered title but does not require the cadastral unit to be subdivided and a separate title sheet created (for example, a standard security over part of a cadastral unit). |
Dealing with the Whole | see Dealing |
Debtor | The granter of a standard security over his property |
Deed | A document which is executed according to the formalities required in the individual case (for example, executed by an individual, company, etc) |
Deed Inducing Registration (DIR) | The deed which, when submitted for registration, results in the first registration of a previously unregistered plot in the land register |
Derived Map | A map produced from other maps rather than from an original survey |
Derived Scale | A version of a map that is formed by either enlarging or reducing a base scale map |
Designation | A person's title, description of occupation and address at which they are permanently resident |
Destination | A clause of direction as to the persons who are to succeed to the property (for example, equally and survivor) |
Development Plan Approval (DPA) | A service offered by RoS to provide developers with the confidence that any title extent issues can be identified and resolved prior to the sale of individual houses within their development. As well as the benefits to the developer and his purchasers, the benefit to RoS is often the ability to plot and register the cadastral units of the individual houses based on the digital data supplied by the developer rather than having to wait until the OS map is updated. |
Digital Mapping | The process of storing and displaying map data in computer form |
Digitising | The conversion of printed maps and other non-digital information sources to a computer-readable format. With reference to digitising maps, this may be achieved by "point digitising", where points are only recorded when a button is manually pressed by the operator, or "stream digitising" where points are recorded automatically at pre-set intervals of either distance or time. The resulting digital file will be in a vector format. |
Digitising Table | An electronic draughting table capable of recording the (x,y) co-ordinates of a point on a table in computer readable form |
Diligence | Methods of enforcing unpaid debts and other obligations, either on the dependence or in execution of court decrees or judgements |
Diligence on the dependence | Diligence over the assets of the defender executed while a court action is continuing |
Docquet on Confirmation | A docquet endorsed by an executor on a confirmation or certificate of confirmation whereby heritable property is transferred to the person entitled thereto |
Dominant Tenement | Historical term used to describe a property which benefits from the existence of a servitude right |
Dpi (Dots per inch) | A unit of measurement for the resolution of a scanning or printing device |
Duplicate Plan | An authenticated copy of a deed plan that has been recorded in the Books of Council and Session kept by the National Archives of Scotland, normally due to its size and colouring. A colour copy can been obtained from the record office by using the Revenue Runner Duty Form maintained by Customer Services. |
Eik | An extension of the confirmation of an executor to cover property not originally included |
Effeiring | Belonging to |
Egress | Way out (e.g. access and egress) |
Enlarged Plan | A method of mapping used on some pre-2012 Act titles. When a small part of the plan needed clarifying, an inset plan was added to the title plan this was known as an enlarged plan. It was used when the addition was an extract from a larger scale plan (for example, an architect's or a surveyor's plan, or a deed plan where the scale was reliable). Enlarged plans followed the scale of the deed plans on which they are based, but the scale was expressed as a representative fraction where it was practicable. Enlarged plans are not to be used when mapping 2012 Act titles. |
Enlargement | A method of mapping used on some pre-2012 Act titles. When a small part of the plan needed clarifying, an inset plan was added to the title plan - this was known as an enlargement. An enlargement was used when a scale enlargement of part of the detail shown on the title plan was added. Enlargements showed the scale as a representative fraction. Enlargements are not to be used when mapping 2012 Act titles. |
Estate | The extent of a person's interest in land |
Estate Plans | A historic term used to describe plans lodged with RoS to show the intended development on builders' estates. The process has been replaced by the Deed Plan Approval (DPA) service. |
Feature | A point or line used to represent one or more real-world objects on a map |
Feature Code | An alphanumeric code which describes and/or classifies geographic features in a digital map file |
Feu | A form of land transaction under the feudal system abolished by the Abolition of Feudal Tenure etc. (Scotland) Act 2000. The granting by a feudal superior to a vassal in perpetuity of the right of property (or dominium utile) in the ground feued, i.e. the vassal had the full use of the property, limited only by the conditions imposed in the grant by the superior. Feus could be created by feu contract, feu charter or feu disposition. |
Feuar | One who held an interest in land subject to the conditions in a feu writ. This form of land ownership under the feudal system was abolished by the Abolition of Feudal Tenure etc. (Scotland) Act 2000. Any reference to a feuar shall now be construed as a reference to the owner of that land. |
Fiar | See Feuar |
First registration (FR) | The registration in the land register of a previously unregistered plot of land (section 23 of the 2012 Act) |
Floating Shape | Subjects shown on a deed plan that contains insufficient surrounding detail to tie the extent in accurately to the Ordnance Map |
Floor Level Cases | Registration of a floor or part of a floor of a building (other than a normal tenement or split villa case). Applications which relate to the registration of parts of buildings, on one or more levels, will all be treated as tenement applications under section 16 of the 2012 Act. Examples can include shopping precincts and complex high rise flatted properties |
Foreshore | The land between the mean high and low water marks (spring tides). Foreshore is udal in Orkney and Shetland |
Foundation Deed | The deed which starts a prescriptive progress of title, such a deed may be a breakaway deed (which see), but equally may be a subsequent transfer of subjects which contains only a description by reference to an earlier deed (for example, a feu contract) containing a full description |
Free ish and entry | The right to come and go |
Full Bounding Description | A written description of the extent of a property, containing measurements and orientation of the boundaries |
Gazetteer | A (national) list of postal addresses that are individually linked to features or points on a map (for example, Ordnance map) by a unique reference number. |
Geographic Information System (GIS) | A system for capturing, storing, checking, integrating, manipulating, analyzing and displaying data which are spatially referenced to the Earth. RoS currently uses ArcGIS software |
Grantee | A person benefited by a conveyance or assignation in his favour |
Granter | A person who grants a writ which transfers, discharges or otherwise deals with his interest |
Greening out | The conventional method for showing that all or part of a parent title has been sold off, registered as a TP application, and has been removed from the parent title cadastral unit. This is shown by edging & numbering the affected area in green on the cadastral map. |
Grid Reference | The position of a point on a map expressed in terms of grid co-ordinates |
Ground Surface Level | Where more than one level of detail exists (for example, a raised walkway), the Ordnance Survey defines ground surface level as the upper level of through public communications |
Heritable Property / Heritage | Heritable property is land and other immovable property (for example, houses, commercial premises, etc) |
Ident | The stage between intake and plans settle in the registration process when the location of the property is located on the OS map, and a category is assigned to the application |
Illusory Feuduty or Rent | A purely nominal feuduty or rent (for example, one penny if asked) |
In Direction Measurement | A measurement from a known point towards another, but the line being measured doesn't extend through the whole length |
Incorporeal | Heritable and moveable property which has no physical existence e.g. patent rights, copyright or a coat-of-arms (see Corporeal) |
Indefinite Detail | Map detail which is of sufficient importance to be shown on a map but that has an outline that is liable to change (for example, the proposed route of a new by-pass shown on a road atlas) |
Indemnity | A provision that was made in the Land Registration (Scotland) Act 1979 for a person who suffered loss in certain circumstances to be indemnified by the Keeper to the extent of that loss (see section 12 of the 1979 Act). See Warranty for the position under the 2012 Act. |
Index Map | The statutory graphical index of registered title to land, showing the extent of all registered cadastral units and linked to the relevant title sheets |
Inhibition | An order by the Court of Session which forbids a debtor from burdening, or parting with, heritage to the prejudice of the inhibiting creditor. Gives the inhibiting creditor inter alia the right to apply to the court for a decree to reduce deeds violating the inhibition. |
Interdict | A judicial remedy granted by a court forbidding the commencement or continuation of an act or activity or the maintenance of a thing or condition infringing or threatening the complainer's rights |
Irritate | Make something null and void |
Ish | Termination date (issue), commonly of a lease |
Kindly tenant or rentaller | One who held land on very favorable terms by enrolment in the rental-book of a superior, but not by feu charter. They were generally construed to have a life-rent of the property, except in the case of those of Lochmaben, whose rights were perpetual and alienable, and in other cases where the rights appear to have been heritable. Kindly tenants of Lochmaben were abolished by the Abolition of Feudal Tenure etc. (Scotland) Act 2000. |
Lacuna | A gap or omission in a document, or a case not provided for in a statute |
Lammas | One of the four quarter days in Scotland (the others being Candlemas, Martinmas and Whitsunday). Lammas was formerly 1st August but is now (by statute) 28th August. See Candlemas, Whitsunday, Martinmas. |
Land | Includes buildings and other structures and land covered with water |
Land Certificate | Paper certificate containing an extract from the land register that was issued by the keeper upon completion of a pre-2012 Act application for registration. Not issued for 2012 Act applications. |
Land Information System (LIS) | See Geographic Information System (GIS) |
Land Register | A public register of rights in land in Scotland (known as the Land Register of Scotland). This was established by the Land Registration (Scotland) Act 1979, and continued by the Land Registration etc. (Scotland) Act 2012. It will supersede the General Register of Sasines as the Scottish national land register. |
Landline Data | Large scale Ordnance Survey map data. Now superseded by the Ordnance Survey's Mastermap data product. |
Landlord | The proprietor of heritable property who leases all or part of his property for a limited time in return for a rent |
Lands Tribunal for Scotland | A tribunal established by statute with power inter alia in disputes relating to title conditions (e.g. real burdens or servitudes and applications to renew, vary or discharge such conditions) and the hearing of appeals against decisions taken by the Keeper of the Registers of Scotland in relation to the registration of title to land |
Leaseholder | See Tenant |
Legal tender | Legal tender has a very narrow technical meaning in relation to the settlement of debt. In ordinary everyday transactions, the term ‘legal tender’ has very little practical application. See Legal Tender Guidelines and Legal Position with regard to Scottish Banknotes (external links) |
Lessee | See Tenant |
Lessor | See Landlord |
Let | To grant the use of land in return for a rent |
Licence | A contractual right to the use or occupation of heritable property which does not constitute a tenancy in the legal sense |
Liferent | A right or title in land for the period of a person’s life |
Light and prospect | A servitude binding on the servient tenement, preventing him from (a) building or planting on his ground (non aedificandi), (b) raising any buildings or plants on his ground beyond a certain height (altius non tollendi) or (c) building or planting so as to impinge on the light prospect of the dominant tenement (non officiendi luminibus). |
Long Lease | A contract whereby a landlord grants exclusive possession of all or part of his heritable property to a tenant for a definite period of time usually in return for a rent. The period of time must exceed 20 years or the lease must contain renewal provisions so that the total duration would extend for more than 20 years. |
Map | A graphic representation of features of the Earth's surface or other geographically distributed phenomena. Examples are topographic maps, road maps, weather maps. |
Map Detail | Buildings, structures, boundaries, physical ground features (natural or artificial), etc whose extent shape and position are defined on the map. These can be either drawn to scale or represented by symbols. |
Map Projection | A systematic portrayal of geographically distributed features from the curved surface of the Earth onto a flat surface (for example, a printed map) |
Map Tile | Square sections of map, identified by reference to the National Grid (for example, NT3179 or NT3179NW). Covering an area of 1km square at 1/2500 base scale or 500m square at 1/1250 base scale. |
Mapbase | The current mapbase used by RoS is the Ordnance map, and this provides coverage of the whole of Scotland. It is supplied in 3 base scales by the Ordnance Survey, dependent on the nature of the area: 1:1250, 1:2500 & 1:10,000. |
Mapbase Maintenance Section | The section is responsible for liaison directly with Ordnance Survey and for managing all RoS activities in relation to the Ordnance Map |
Martinmas | One of the two term days in Scotland (the other being Whitsunday) as well as being one of the four quarter days. Martinmas was formerly 11th November but is now (by statute) 28th November. See Whitsunday, Candlemas, Lammas. |
Matrimonial Homes Act (Scotland) 1981 | An Act to make provision for the rights of spouses in a matrimonial home i.e. where one spouse has title to the home and one does not, the latter has a right to stay in the home even if it is sold |
Microfilm | Clear film which was historically used to store miniature copies of all documents relating to casework. These microfilm (or fiche) have now been scanned and can be viewed through LR Archive Viewer. |
Midcouple | A form of conveyance which is not itself a registrable deed (for example, confirmation of executors) |
Minute Book | After deeds submitted to the Sasine Register have been checked to ensure that they meet the legal requirements for recording, a summary of the deed is created; this is called a minute. At the end of each year a bound minute book, containing all the minutes for that particular year, is published for each county. For ease of reference, each minute is allocated a yearly running number, indicating the position of that minute in the annual intake for that county. There are persons and places indexes at the front of each one. The information for these indexes comes from the names and property descriptions in the minutes. The minute book is signed at the bottom of each page, and is kept in the National Archives. An identical, but unsigned, copy called the Abridgements is kept in the Customer Service Centre, and this is now searchable electronically. Details of all minutes recorded after 1993, along with the indexes, are available electronically. |
Moveables | All property other than heritable property (see Corporeal, Incorporeal) |
National Grid | A grid of lines shown on all Ordnance Survey Maps providing a single reference (or co-ordinate) system for the whole country |
New Area Preparation (NAP) | Prior to the Commencement Day for a registration county (Land Registration (Scotland) Act 1979 (Section 30 (2))), the former NAP team within RoS identified suitable areas and created Research Areas |
Notarial execution | A procedure whereby a deed may be subscribed by a notary on behalf of a blind or illiterate person |
Notice of Title | A deed setting out the right of a person to heritable property. When registered in the Land Register this completes the person's title to the property. |
Occupancy / occupation | The physical possession and use of heritable property |
Office Copy | A duly authenticated copy of a title sheet, part thereof or of any document referred to in a title sheet formerly issued to any person applying for same (Land Registration (Scotland ) Act 1979, section 6(5)). This service is no longer provided by the RoS. |
OS | Ordnance Survey |
Outfield | See Infield |
Overhead Detail | Map detail showing features above ground surface level |
Overlay | A set of graphic data that can be superimposed on another set of graphical data through registration to a common co-ordinate system. This could be done by bringing together two digital images (for example, a map overlaid on aerial imagery), or two non-digital images (for example, a copy of a County Series map on tracing paper overlaid on a print of a current map). |
Overriding Interests | A historic term used to cover those "real" rights or restrictions which did not require (1) recording in the register of sasines before the commencement of the 1979 Act, or (2) registration in the land register under the 1979 Act to make them real. These included such rights as servitudes, public rights of way, etc. The 2012 Act ends the concept of overriding interests. Some types of former overriding interest can still be entered in title sheet at first registration (for example, a public right of way), but unless the former overriding interest is an encumbrance as defined by section 9 there would not be an inaccuracy in the register in omitting them. |
Overshoot | The projection or extension of a line on a map or plan beyond its point of intersection with another line |
Parent Title | The registered title from which a part (or parts) are being transferred or removed when a transfer of part (TP) application has been submitted for registration |
Parts and pertinents | Everything which passes with the actual land on its transfer or disposition, eg minerals, servitudes, fishing rights |
Pecked Line | A line drawn on a map or plan as a series of dashes |
Pecuniary | Relating to money |
Pendicle | A small piece of land, subsidiary to a larger estate, or something attached to another thing |
Pertinents | Accessories or rights belonging to a property |
PICOR | Process Initiative Combined Release (sometimes referred to as Programme Initiative Combined Release). Now obsolete. Refers to a type of application which was intended to be settled electronically, as part of the eSettle project. |
Pixel | The smallest element of a display surface that can be independently assigned attributes such as colour and intensity |
Plotted Boundaries Stamp | This stamp was used on Title Plans of pre-2012 Act titles with boundaries plotted from plans contained in title deeds and stated "The boundaries shown by dotted lines have been plotted from the plans or the deeds. Physical boundaries will be indicated after their delineation on the Ordnance Map". The stamp is no longer used when mapping 2012 Act cadastral units. |
Polygon | An area on a map bounded by a closed line |
Polyline | A line on a map made up of a sequence of line segments |
Positional Accuracy | This is a measure which compares how closely the co-ordinates of a point in the National grid agree with the "real" co-ordinates of the same point on the ground. Is sometimes referred to as Absolute Accuracy. |
Power of attorney | A deed conferring authority, granted by one person to another (called the 'attorney' or 'factor') to act on his behalf for the purposes specified therein |
Preamble | Short details of a deed given in the burdens section of the title sheet |
Prescription | The lapse of time which confers or extinguishes rights in heritable property |
Prescriptive Claimant | The 2012 Act provides a statutory framework for the registration of dispositions a non domino. A disposition a non domino is, by definition, invalid but the 2012 Act works by deeming it to be valid where the Keeper is satisfied that certain steps have been taken. A prescriptive claimant is the term used for a person entered in a title sheet as holder of such a right, which is marked on the title sheet as “provisional”. The prescriptive claimant provisions are contained in sections 43 to 45 of the 2012 Act. |
Prescriptive Progress | Any deeds of transfer of title recorded within the last 10 years. These deeds could be legally defective and must have been examined by the applicant or their agent before being submitted for registration. |
Preservation Deed | This is a deed which has been recorded in the Books of Council and Session for safe keeping and, as such, The National Archives of Scotland hold the original deed. A colour copy can been obtained from the record office by using the Revenue Runner Duty Form maintained by Customer Services. |
Probate | The certificate, granted by the High Court in England, that a will has been proved. Constitutes the title of the executors to the testator's estate and evidence of their right to administer it. |
Production | The prolongation or extension of a straight line joining two known points in order to supply detail beyond the known point(s) |
Progress of Titles | The series of title deeds which constitute the purchaser’s title to land |
Raster Data | Spatial Data expressed as a matrix of cells or "pixels", with spatial position implicit in the ordering of the pixels |
Ray | A line of sight from one point on the ground to another |
Reconstituted | One of the terms given to the procedure where County Series maps were cut up and stretched to fit the National Grid System |
Recorded/ Registered | In documents & papers issued by the Keeper, 'recorded' is restricted in use to the Register of Sasines and 'registered' to the land register |
Rectification | Sections 80 and 81 of the 2012 Act permit the Keeper to rectify a manifest inaccuracy in a title sheet or on the cadastral map when she becomes aware of that inaccuracy |
Reduce | To set aside or annul, usually by an action of reduction, a deed, contract, decree or award |
Referee | One to whom anything is referred - an arbitrator |
References | Markings or colourings on the cadastral map that are referred to in the title sheet |
Reformed Survey | When a map is surveyed at a larger scale using the criteria for the larger scale and then reduced back to the former scale for publication |
Register of Sasines | See Sasine Register |
Relative Accuracy | Compares the scaled distance between the features (measured on the map) with the true distance. In general, relative accuracy is more important to map users than the positional accuracy. |
Rent | A periodical payment made by a tenant to his landlord in respect of a Lease |
Reports | Reports are requested prior to registration by parties involved in a property transaction. They can be accessed through the online reports portal and are designed to assist those engaged in land and property transactions. They can be used to confirm that transactions meet certain key registration requirements (for instance, the deed plan is acceptable), and to identify any issues prior to submission. Both plans and legal reports are offered. |
Research Area (RA) | To eliminate repetitive examination of title work, builders' or developers' titles were investigated, including the first sale of individual plots, and all existing burdens were established. A research area (RA) file was created holding these common burdens that had been examined and edited in advance and could therefore be included in registrations of the various parts without further examination. Although no new RAs will now be created, existing ones will continue to be used and maintained. |
Resurvey | Where a map is updated/recreated by starting the survey process from the beginning; as opposed to revision, where only some details are updated |
Rights | Entitlement to use property for a particular purpose either exclusively or in common |
ROI | Register of Inhibitions - a register of debtors who are prohibited from dealing with their heritable property until the inhibition is discharged. Also called the personal register. |
RoS site visits | On site inspection of properties carried out by the RoS Surveyor to confirm the accuracy of the Ordnance map. This service is rarely used now as the first port of call in most instances is Ordnance Survey via Mapbase Maintenance. |
Sasine Register | This register was established in 1617 to record deeds relating to rights in property. In 1870 individual search sheets were introduced for each property to allow easier searching of the register. The register was computerised in 1993, and in 1997 search sheet records from 1875 to 1993 were digitally imaged to enable computerised access. This register was the mainstay of the Scottish system of land ownership and interests from the 17th century until the introduction of the land register on to which properties are now registered on creation or sale. |
Scale | The ratio between a distance measured on a map, chart or photograph and the corresponding distance in the real world |
Scanning | A method of digital data capture where a device is used to read and store an image of a document (for example, a map or written document). The resulting image is normally stored in a raster data format. |
Search | The word 'search' continues to be used in respect of the Register of Sasines from which there are issued searches and interim reports for interests in land which are unregistered and not about to be registered. Searches are carried out, for a fee, by Customer Services. |
Seed point | A point within an area on a digital map that can be used to carry the attributes of the whole area (for example, ownership, address, land-use type) |
Sequestration | Generally, the judicial seizure of assets to enforce a claim or satisfy a court order; the process of rendering an individual bankrupt by attaching his assets and vesting them in a trustee for the benefit of the bankrupt's creditors |
Servient Tenement | Historical term used to describe a property which bears the burden of a servitude right in favour of another property |
Servitude | A right of the owner of land to exercise a privilege over another person’s land (for example, a right of way) |
Shape (Accuracy of) | The principle of accuracy of shape is that any real world geometry should be accurately replicated on a map. For example, features that are square, rectangular or straight in the real world should be square, rectangular or straight on the map. |
Short Lease | A lease which is not a long lease and is therefore not registrable |
Shot | A ray or line from one point on a map or plan, through another to a third point |
Site Plan | Historical term used to described the method for mapping tenement property under the 1979 Act. As the precise extent of the flatted property was often not ascertainable, the steading or the solum on which the tenement was erected was included in the red edging. The description of the subjects in the property section was amended to read, e.g. eastmost flat on the first floor of 2 GRANT STREET, PAISLEY, lying within the land edged red on the title plan. |
Sitt | Subjects in this title - abbreviation commonly used by registration staff in referrals, DMS casenotes and LRS title notes |
Snapping | A process when plotting a point or line on the DMS where the computer will pick the nearest vector point & "snap" onto it. This is particularly useful when you wish to achieve vector-perfect mapping. |
Solum | The ground upon which a building is erected |
Split Villas | A type of flatted or sub-divided building that was originally built as one dwelling or unit but has subsequently been converted to multiple units or dwellings |
Standover | Cases awaiting a reply, or documents from an agent |
Steading | The area of land within which a tenement building and all associated ground is located |
Sub-Lease | A lease of the whole or part of land already held on a lease |
Superior | One who held the superiority interest in land. This form of land ownership under the feudal system was abolished by the Abolition of Feudal Tenure etc. (Scotland) Act 2000. |
Superiority | A form of land ownership under the feudal system abolished by the Abolition of Feudal Tenure etc. (Scotland) Act 2000. Formerly the right of land enjoyed by the feudal superior. Also referred to as Dominium Directum. |
Supplementary Plan | A plan created in conjunction with the title plan for a pre-2012 Act title for the purpose of showing detail or providing a method of reference to areas of land mentioned in the register which, for reasons of scale, size or complexity, could not conveniently or satisfactorily be shown on the title plan. New supplementary plans are not to be created for use with 2012 Act title, although in on-going developments existing supplementary plans can be used for the remaining properties to be registered. These plans will be included in the title sheet as supplementary data to the title sheet (in the form of a plan). Any rights of ownership (either exclusive or common) must be shown on the cadastral map and not as supplementary data. |
Survey | A visit can made to a property by an Ordnance Survey surveyor to pick up new map detail and/or check the position of existing features at the request of RoS. Such visits should be requested through Mapbase Maintenance. |
Surveying | The measurement and recording of geographically distributed information. The results are normally stored or displayed in the form of a map or plan. |
Tacit relocation | Implied consent to the renewal of a lease if notice to terminate the lease is not given timeously. The renewal is for one year in the case of a lease for a year or more. |
Tenant | A person who holds a leasehold interest in heritable property |
Tenendas | The clause of tenendas expresses the tenure by which lands are to be held |
Tenure | The way in which a person holds land - ownership or tenancy |
Tinting Method | A method of mapping a cadastral unit without using red edging but indicating the extent of the property, servitudes, specific burdens etc. by various coloured tints and hatchings |
Title Plan | The plan, based on the Ordnance Map, formerly prepared by the keeper and forming part of the title sheet for pre-2012 Act titles. Title plans are not produced for 2012 Act title sheets; instead extracts from the cadastral map showing a particular cadastral unit can be viewed or provided by the keeper on request. |
Title Sheet | The statutory record of ownership of a plot of land comprising the property, proprietorship, securities and burdens sections |
Transfer of Part | An application for registration of a deed that either (a) partly affects a registered title and requires the cadastral unit to be subdivided and a separate title sheet created (for example, a disposition of part of a cadastral unit); or (b) wholly affects a registered title yet creates a separate interest in that cadastral unit (for example, a lease of a whole registered title) |
Tree Preservation Order (TPO) | A Tree Preservation Order is an order effected by Local Authorities which imposes conditions for the preservation of trees, groups of trees or woodlands in the Authority's district, by prohibiting the cutting down, topping, lopping or the wilful destruction of trees, etc. except with the Authority's consent. The extent of such orders are to be mapped and shown on the DMS Index layer, with an Index type TPO. Paper copies of TPO files held by the Keeper can be borrowed from centralised support. |
Udal Tenure | A form of allodial tenure once common in Orkney and Shetland |
Underground Detail | Map detail showing features below ground surface level |
Undershoot | The projection or extension of a line on a map or plan that stops short of its point of intersection with another line |
Unregistered | A term used to describe an interest in land which has not been registered in the land register. This can apply to land whether or not the interest, or the land affected by the interest, is held on a sasine title. |
Vassal | See Feuar |
Voluntary Registration | A registration, the application for which has been accepted under section 27 of the 2012 Act. The registration is not based upon a property transaction that triggers registration in the land register. Instead, the property is registered at the request of the owner of the plot. |
Warranty | The Keeper's Warranty (section 73) is the state guarantee of title granted by the keeper. In accepting an application for registration, the keeper warrants to the applicant that the resulting title sheet will be accurate. |
Wayleave | See Servitude |
Whitsunday | One of the two term days in Scotland (the other being Martinmas) as well as being one of the four quarter days. Whitsunday was formerly 15th May but is now (by statute) 28th May. See Candlemas, Lammas, Martinmas. |
Writ | A writing in deed form executed by the parties thereto according to the formalities required in the individual case, for example, executed by an individual, company, etc |
Yellowing-out | The conventional method for showing that all or part of a parent title has been leased and that the tenant's interest in that area has been removed from the parent title. This is shown by edging & numbering the affected area in yellow on the cadastral map (or on supplementary data to the title sheet in the case of some sub-leases). See Mapping Leases for more details. |
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Registers of Scotland (RoS) seeks to ensure that the information published in the 2012 Act Registration Manual is up to date and accurate but it may be amended from time to time.
The Manual is an internal document intended for RoS staff only. The information in the Manual does not constitute legal or professional advice and RoS cannot accept any liability for actions arising from its use.
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