Does English Law’s System of Land Registration Strike an Appropriate Balance Between Economic and Social Interests?

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The Land Registration Act firstly came into place in 1925, which introduced a system of land registration in England and Wales. It has then been updated in the Land Registration Act 2002. The Land Registration Act 1925 (LRA 1925) provides that the rights of every person in actual occupation of registered land shall constitute overriding interests binding the registered proprietor and anyone claiming under him. The occupant would have priority over future purchases without his consent, as if his interest had been previously registered. Referring to the judgment in the case of Williams & Glyn’s Bank Ltd v Boland , several arguments have been delivered. In this essay, I will argue that the decision made by the House of Lords is unable to promote the interests of married woman in preserving their rights in the matrimonial home. Meanwhile, I will also argue that the courts’ decision should not be regarded as one that is socially just, and that the English Law’s system of Land registration fails to strike a balance between economic and social interest. Considering the case Williams & Glyn’s Bank Ltd v Boland, the husband was the registered proprietor. He mortgaged the property to the bank and sought possession since he was not able to cope with the repayments. His wife then argued that she was entitled to proprietary interest in the house for the contributions she had made to the purchase. In this case, several arguments were delivered. Firstly, should the wife living with her husband in the matrimonial home be regarded as a person ‘in actual occupation’ of that land for the purposes of the LRA? Secondly, was her interest in the proceeds of sale of the land said to be subsisting “in reference” to the registered land, thus incapable of taking effect as overriding interests even if she were held to have been in actual occupation of the land and that her interest as

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