| Unit name | Land Law |
|---|---|
| Unit code | LAWDM0075 |
| Credit points | 30 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24) |
| Unit director | Professor. Chris Willmore |
| 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 |
Land Law is concerned with the distinctive body of rules that regulates the ownership of land. In particular, this unit examines the range of interests in land that are recognised by the law and how these interests are created, transferred and enforced. Land Law focuses on the most important of the practical situations in which property rights are fragmented – when more than one person has an interest in the same piece of land – and on how property rights may endure through, or be defeated by, the transfer of ownership of the land. Throughout the unit, the focus is on registered land (rather than unregistered land).
In seminars, particular emphasis is given to the development of problem-solving skills. In addition, the unit is designed to enhance skills of legal reasoning, analysis and synthesis, and to develop the ability to deal with primary sources – both cases and legislation. The purpose of the coursework component of the unit is to develop skills of independent legal research and writing.
What exactly is land? How does Land Law affect Generation Rent? What happens to the family home when cohabitees’ relationship breaks down? Right to roam, right to a home…all of these matters, and more, are the concerns of this subject. During the course you will learn that Land Law is not an arid set of laws and doctrines, but is thoroughly intertwined with human experience in the living world.
This unit explores the core principles of English land law. While developing a strong grounding in doctrinal land law, you will discover the historical development of those principles, the policies that have driven their development, socio-political perspectives on their form and operation, as well as the future scope for law reform in the area.
Core topics will be: the history, structure and concerns of land law; the registered title regime; formal and informal acquisition of interests; co-ownership and successive ownership; leases; licences; easements; covenants; security; adverse possession, human rights and future challenges.
Develop unit-specific knowledge and understanding of the system of English land law. By the end of the unit, a successful student should be able to:
This unit is taught by way of 20-30 lectures, 10 two-hour seminars and 2 assessment preparation and feedback sessions. Lectures are delivered jointly to students on the related undergraduate unit.
Summative: a 2000 word essay (33%) and a 3 hour written examination (67%). Both assessments will assess all of the Intended Learning Outcomes for this unit in the context of topics selected by the examiners.
Formative: students should do one formative assessment (this will usually be 1 x 1500 word essay).
Core Texts:
There are some alternative books - in particular many students find Dixon very helpful as an alternative (it depends on your learning style):
Students sometimes find that easier books offer a different way into the topic, which help them to return to the recommended text book, but they are not sufficient on their own. You may well find it easiest to start with an easier textbook and then build upon it. This can get expensive or you can borrow library copies. The key thing is to find a book or books, which suit your way of learning. Two good books in this category are:
