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Land Administration

in the Developing World

 

 

 

 

Land Law and Registration

Chapters from the authoritative book by S. Rowton Simpson

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A list of projects financed by development agencies

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Land administration systems and laws, country by country

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Books, papers and sources of data and information useful to the land administration student and practitioner

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Glossary of Land Administration Terms


  A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Absolute title

an unconditional title for which no other person has a better right to the land.

Abstract of title

a summary of documents and facts showing the ownership of a piece of land or property.

Adjudication

the process whereby the ownership and rights in land are officially determined

Adverse possession

the occupation of land inconsistent with the rights of the true owner. > more

Alienation

the power of an owner to dispose of interest in land or property. In particular land may be alienated from the State and granted to private individuals

Appraisal

estimating the market value of property

Assessment

determining the tax level for a property based upon its relative market value

Assign

to transfer property rights from one person to another, for example in a lease or mortgage certificate

Attribute

a characteristic of an object which may be used in its classification

Base map

a general purpose map upon which specific-purpose maps are based. A base map is usually made with reference to the national geodetic survey network, and plotted in terms of the national co-ordinate system

Boundary

either the physical objects marking the limits of a property or an imaginary line or surface marking the division between two legal estates. Also used to describe the division between features with different administrative, legal, land-use, topographic, etc., characteristics

Cadastral index map

a map showing the legal property framework of all land within an area, including property boundaries, administrative boundaries, parcel identifiers, sometimes the area of each parcel, road reserves and administrative names

Cadastral map

a map showing land parcel boundaries. Cadastral maps may also show buildings.

Cadastral surveying

the surveying and mapping of land parcel boundaries in support of a country’s land administration, conveyancing or land registration system

Cadastre

a type of land information system that records land parcels. The term includes:

-Juridical cadastre: a register of ownership of parcels of land;

-Fiscal cadastre: a register of properties recording their value;

-Land-use cadastre: a register of land use;

-Multi-purpose cadastre: a register including many attributes of land parcels

Caution or caveat

an entry in the registers or court records preventing certain actions being taken without notice to the person registering the caution or caveat

Charge

an interest in property for example when held as security for a debt

Civil law

the law laid down by the State regarding the rights of inhabitants. Also known as Roman law

Collateral

the use of property as a guarantee for a loan

Common law

the unwritten law based originally on common customs and precedent but now administered by the courts

Condominium

the co-ownership of property especially in a block of apartments

Consolidation

the planning and redistribution of land into units of more economic and rational size, shape and location

Contract

an agreement enforceable by law

Conveyance

a method whereby rights in land are transferred from one owner to another. The rights may be full ownership or a mortgage, charge or lease, etc

Customary law

unwritten law established by long usage

Customary tenure

the holding of land in accordance with customary law

Deed

a legal document laying out the conditions which land is transferred

Demarcation

the marking-out of the boundaries of each land parcel on the ground

Demarcation map

a map prepared to show the parcels of land as determined during the process of adjudication

Easement

a right enjoyed by one landowner (the dominant tenement) over that of another (the servient tenement), for instance a right of access or for the passage of water or electricity

Estate

in legal terms, an interest in land. The terms is also used to refer to the physical land and property to which that interest relates

Expropriation

the compulsory depriving of an owner of property in return for compensation

Fiscal value

the value of real-estate property used for taxation purposes.

Fixed boundary

the legal boundary of a property where the precise line has been agreed and recorded

Fragmentation

the division of land units too small for rational exploitation, usually as a result of the system of inheritance. The process may lead to a multiplicity of parcels for one owner or a multiplicity of owners of one parcel

Freehold

a free tenure, distinct from leasehold, in which the owner has the maximum rights permissible within the tenure system

General boundary

a boundary for which the precise line on the ground has not been determined.

General cadastre

an official public record usually recording the ownership rights, value, and quantity of land in a jurisdiction, State or country. The legal land parcels are recorded in registers and on cadastral maps

Geodesy

the scientific study of the size and shape of the Earth and the determination of positions upon it

Geodetic framework or network

a spatial framework of points whose position has been precisely determined on the surface of the Earth

Geodetic survey

the process of determining the exact spatial position of points on the Earth’s surface. The geodetic network is a basis for topographic, environmental and cadastral surveying and mapping

Geographic information system (GIS)

a system for capturing, storing, checking, integrating, analysing and displaying data about the Earth that is spatially referenced. It is normally taken to include a spatially referenced database and appropriate applications software.

Global positioning system (GPS)

a system for fixing positions on the surface of the Earth by measuring the ranges to a special set of satellites orbiting the Earth

Grant

a general word to describe the transfer of property whereby rights pass from the “grantor” to the “grantee”.

Hypothec

a charge on property as a security against a financial loan in which the property remains in the possession of the person receiving the loan

Land

the surface of the Earth, the materials beneath, the air above and all things fixed to the soil

Land administration

the processes of determining, recording and disseminating information about the ownership, value and use of land when implementing land management policies

Land information system (LIS)

a system for acquiring, processing, storing and distributing information about land

Land management

the activities associated with the management of land as a resource from both an environmental and an economic perspective

Land parcel

an area of land under homogeneous property rights and unique ownership.

Land reform

the various processes involved in altering the pattern of land tenure and distribution of land

Land register

a public register used to record the existence of deeds or title documents.

Land registration

the process of recording rights in land either in the form of registration of deeds or else through the registration of title to land

Land tenure

the mode of holding rights in land

Land title

the evidence of a person’s rights to land

Leasehold

land held under a lease, which is a contract by which the right of exclusive possession of land is granted by a landlord (the lessor) to a tenant (the lessee) for an agreed amount of money for an agreed period of time

Lot

a land parcel

Market value

the most probable sale price of a real-estate property in terms of money, assuming a competitive and open market

Mass appraisal

the process of valuing a group of real-estate properties at a given date, using standard methods

Metes and bounds

a property description by reference to the bearings and lengths of the boundary lines (metes) together with the names of adjoining properties (bounds).

Mortgage

the conveyance of a property by a debtor (called the mortgagor) to a creditor (called the mortgagee) as security for a financial loan with the provision that the property shall be returned when the loan is paid off by a certain date. In some legal systems there is provision that the mortgagee has the power to sell the concerned property when the interest is not paid in time and the loan is not paid off by a certain date in accordance with the agreed stipulations

Orthophotography

a composite aerial photograph from which height and tilt displacements have been removed

Overriding interest

a legal interest in land that has legal force even though not recorded in the land registers

Photogrammetry

the science and art of taking accurate measurements from photographs.

Prescription

the gaining of a right by reason of a lapse of time

Private conveyancing

the transfer of rights in land without any public record of the transfer.

Property

a legal right or ownership, possession, use and enjoyment of a thing. > more

Provisional title

a registered title that should in due course become an absolute title provided that no objections are registered within a prescribed period

Real estate

land-related property

Real property

land and any things attached to the land including buildings, apartments and other construction and natural objects such as trees

Rectification

the legal process whereby errors on a land register may be corrected

Registration of deeds

a system whereby a register of documents is maintained relating to the transfer of rights in land

Registration of title

a system whereby a register of ownership of land is maintained based upon the parcel rather than the owner or the deeds of transfer

Registry index map

a map showing all land that has been registered within a given area.

Rental value

the value of a property in terms of the rent which may be derived from it.

Restitution

the restoration of former rights in land involving the re-privatization of land and property or the creation of new property rights over land formerly taken over by the State.

Restrictive covenant

an agreement whereby one landowner agrees to restrict certain ways in which the land might be used for the benefit of another

Root of title

a document dealing with the whole legal and equitable interest in real property that provides certainty in any legal disposition

Servitude

an easement

Sporadic adjudication

the determination of rights in land here and there, now and then.

Stamp duty

a levy charged on the transfer of property

Statute of limitations

a statute that limits the period during which a claim, for instance for the restoration of rights in land, can be pursued

Strata title

title to land which is not necessarily divided horizontally, such as in high-rise buildings or for mining rights

Subdivision

the process of dividing a land parcel into smaller parcels

Systematic adjudication

the determination of rights in land on a regular and systematic basis, for example within one area at one time

Tenure

the method whereby land rights are held

Title

the evidence of a person’s right to property

Title deeds

documents giving evidence of title to land

Title plan

a plan especially drawn to show the boundaries of land parcels.

Topology

the study of properties of a geometric figure which are not dependent upon absolute position, such as connectivity

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Last modified: October 28, 2008 Copyright © 2004-2008 LandAdmin.co.uk Last