Property boundary check: what the registered plan shows and what it does not
The red edge on a title plan is a general boundary, not a precise line. How to see the registered extent free, when to buy the plan, and what to do in a dispute.
What the registered plan shows
The title plan shows the extent of the registered title with a red edge on an Ordnance Survey base. Under section 60 of the Land Registration Act 2002 that line is a general boundary. It shows the general position, not the exact line. The exact line is a matter of evidence: the deeds, the physical features on the ground, and what the parties did over the years.
See the registered extents free
HM Land Registry publishes the INSPIRE Index Polygons, one shape per registered freehold, as an open layer. The check on this page shows a live map view of that layer around the postcode. The official viewer is linked from gov.uk, INSPIRE Index Polygons spatial data. The polygon has no owner name and no address, only an identifier that links to the title.
In a dispute
- Buy both title plans and both registers (£7 each) and compare the extents and any covenants.
- Read the deeds held by the conveyancer, since a plan on an old conveyance may be more precise than the register's general boundary.
- A determined boundary (Land Registration Rules 2003, rule 118) fixes the exact line on the register, but it needs a survey and the neighbour's agreement or a tribunal decision.
- Mediation first. The Property Litigation Association's boundary disputes protocol sets out the steps and is cheaper than a court.