Plans References for Servitudes, Burdens and Non-ownership Rights
The guidance for how to deal with:
- rights of common ownership can be found at - Common Rights (ownership) - When to include, omit or reject;
- rights of use can be found at - Property Section Information; and
- prescriptive servitudes can be found at - Servitudes.
Application form, RA instructions and parent title instructions
There are two questions in the application for registration form, the burdens question and the servitudes question, where the applicant is asked to disclose any burdens/encumbrances affecting the property and any servitude rights benefitting the property - the information provided in the answers to these questions helps establish which conditions to include in the title sheet.
The Keeper will not look for additional deeds that may affect; the only exceptions to this rule are (i) when the property being registered is an FR or FA that falls within a research area (RA), and (ii) when the property being registered is a TP. In both of these instances, the Keeper will also include in the title sheet any burdens from deeds that have previously been established as affecting the RA or the parent title, respectively.
- For an FR of a property within an RA, plans settlers should bring forward onto the cadastral map any references that are identified in the RA instructions on the Plan Creator (check that the instructions have been updated to comply with the 2012 Act).
- For an FR of a property not in an RA, plans settlers are no longer required to abstract prior burdens deeds submitted with the application. There is no requirement under the 2012 Act to include a description of the part of the property affected by a burdens deed in the preamble of that deed's entry in the burdens section of the title sheet.
- For a TP application, plans settlers should bring forward onto the cadastral map any references that are identified in the parent title instructions (check that the instructions have been updated to comply with the 2012 Act).
- The Keeper will rely on the applicant's certification on the application for registration form that all servitudes have been validly constituted, therefore there is no longer a requirement for plans settlers to check that the granter of a servitude had good title to make that grant.
Which deeds should the plans officer examine?
What conditions should the plans officer provide a reference for?
What should the plans officer do if conditions (rights, burdens or servitudes) affect the property being registered?
When should a plans officer consider incorporating a deed or deed plan rather than providing a plans reference?
Section 10(3) of the 2012 Act states that the Keeper may incorporate by reference in a title sheet -
(a) a document in the archive record, or
(b) a deed in any other register under the management and control of the Keeper or of the Keeper of the Records of Scotland.
In practice, this option is used only rarely as in most cases it is preferable to include the content of the deed directly in the title sheet or referenced on the cadastral map. Any decision to incorporate a deed or part of a deed (for example a plan or diagram) that is not in one of the agreed scenarios listed below must be made by a Senior Advisor. If you think that your application would benefit from using incorporation by reference because a deed refers to an unusual plan or diagram that cannot easily be mapped from, please discuss with your referral officer in the first instance.
Remember, incorporation by reference is not to be used simply to avoid having to plot large or complex plans references, particularly those references needed to define ownership.
There are two main scenarios where a policy decision has been made that incorporation by reference will be used in all instances:
- hand written deeds - the legal officer will not attempt to read these deeds to extract burdens, etc
- commercial long leases - when mapping a lease, the only plans reference that the plans officer needs to provide from the deed is for the extent of the leased subjects; any other references shown on deed plans or diagrams will be incorporated along with the rest of the deed by the legal officer. See the Mapping Leases guidance section for more details.
Other scenarios a plans officer may encounter where the use of incorporation by reference has been agreed are:
- some styles of deeds referring to rights or burdens over clothes poles, whirlies, etc - see the specific guidance page for full details
- elevation plans (often but not always provided with airspace applications)
- complex railway boundaries
- public rights of way
- complex Section 75 Agreements - these legal agreements between builders/developers and local authorities are normally to be found in applications affecting new developments. If the deed plan simply shows the area covered by the legal agreement, then a plans reference can be provided, however if the agreement plan is complex with multiple references, the plans officer can consider incorporating the deed plan by reference to the archive record.
If you are mapping an application and it is been agreed that it is appropriate to incorporate a deed or part of a deed, the plans officer must add a note to the legal officer on the LRS explaining the situation, for example:
- "Deed x, no plans reference provided for the clothes poles shown on the plan to that deed. Please incorporate the deed plan into the archive record."
- "Following current policy, no plans references have been provided for the xxx on plans 2 & 3 in the Lease. Please can the Lease be incorporated by reference to the deed in the archive record?"
- "Deed x contains information relating to complex railway boundaries that affect this cadastral unit. Please incorporate into the archive record."
Using a postal address to describe the burdened subjects
When a servitude is being shown on the cadastral map, it is not acceptable to map the extent of the burdened subjects solely from a postal address or plot number provided in the application. Such a description does not provide sufficient information to allow the extent of the specific area of ground affected by the servitude to be shown on the cadastral map.
It is, however, acceptable to use a title number or cadastral unit number to describe the burdened property. This is because the Keeper holds a specific extent for a title number or cadastral unit and this is shown on the cadastral map.
The mapping of servitudes that plot through a solid feature or structure on the OS map
If a servitude or right of way granted and shown on a plan annexed to a prior recorded deed is found to run through a solid feature or structure, such as a garage or a property extension such as a conservatory, the plan officer should reflect the full extent of the servitude as granted in the deed. There is no requirement for the plans officer to contact the agent, and this is also not a reason for rejection.
The plans officer should add a note to the Title Notes & Instructions on the LRS advising the legal officer that part of the servitude granted in the deed does not appear to be exercisable.
- For example, "The right of access coloured blue on the plan to deed 1 has been tinted blue on the cadastral map. Part of this route passes through an extension and therefore does not appear to be being exercised".
It is the legal officer's role to consider if the the relevant legal requirements have been met to allow the servitude to be disclosed in the title sheet - see Servitudes.
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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