Unit name | Land Law |
---|---|
Unit code | LAWD20002 |
Credit points | 20 |
Level of study | I/5 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24) |
Unit director | Professor. Layard |
Open unit status | Not open |
Pre-requisites |
None |
Co-requisites |
None |
School/department | University of Bristol Law School |
Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
This unit considers in detail the range of rights that may exist in land, their durability, along with the rules governing potential conflicts between such rights. Topics covered include: formalities; leases and licences; informally acquired interests including proprietary estoppels and constructive trusts; concurrent interests and co-ownership; easements; mortgages and the family home; registration; concepts of property and adverse possession.
The unit aims to give students a basic understanding of land law. Students are equipped to understand and apply the distinct conceptual tools deployed in land law and the particular applications of legal reasoning associated with it, notably in terms of statutory interpretation.
Students will be able to discuss the range of rights that one or more people may hold in relation to land, and the principles that govern the enforceability of such rights against third parties. They will be expected to read around the subject, understanding land law “in context”, challenging and critiquing some of the assumptions and practices in land law. They will be also be able to solve problems arising in these areas of land law.
By the end of this unit a successful student will be able to:
30 lectures and 8 tutorials
Formative assessment: one mid-sessional examination in January plus one other piece of formative work.
The (formative) mid-sessional exam is mandatory; the other formative assessment is optional.
Summative assessment: one 3-hour (unseen) exam consisting of essays and problem questions (100% of mark).
The assessments will assess all of the intended learning outcomes for this unit.
Articles and chapters on reading lists include: S. Bridge “Money, Marriage and Cohabitation” [2006] Family Law 641; Cowan, Fox OMahoney and Cobb, Great Debates: Property Law (Palgrave, 2nd Edn, 2016); D. Watkins, “Recovering the Lost Human Stories of Law: Finding Mrs Burns” (2013) Law and Humanities, 68-90; S. Nield, “Responsible lending and borrowing: Whereto low-cost home ownership?’, (2010) 30(4) Legal Studies 610; Goymour, Easements, servitudes and the right to park (2009) 67(1) C.L.J. 20-23; Law Commission Report on Easements and Covenants http://www.justice.gov.uk/lawcommission/areas/easements.htm