Land Law

Module overview

Land Law investigates the private law rules affecting the ownership and use of land. It explains the principles governing the nature of property ownership and property rights, their formal and informal acquisition and priority incorporating the registration of land title and property rights, the co-ownership and management of land through trusts, the use of land as security and the relationship between neighbouring land owners.

Aims and Objectives

Learning Outcomes

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

analyse and assess legal materials by way of statutory interpretation, case analysis and review of secondary materials to identify, comprehend and evaluate fundamental legal principles and their impact upon contemporary issues;
communicate in writing an understanding of land law, its application to the solution of legal problems and the formulation of effective argument with clear and accurate use of language and legal terminology.
identify and locate primary and secondary (including electronic) legal sources relevant to land law;
produce effectively reasoned and structured responses to a given statement or proposition, which are adequately supported by reference to legal authority;
identify, from a given factual scenario the relevant legal issues raised and provide appropriate legal advice by applying the relevant law supported by relevant authority;

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

Trusts of Land with particular reference to co-ownership of the family home including the holding and management of co-owned land;
legal and equitable formalities for the creation and disposition of estates and interests in land;
commercial interests including mortgages, easements and covenants.
priority of interests in registered land;
freehold and leasehold estates and legal and equitable interests in land;
the distinction between proprietary and personal interests and its relevance to land;

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

formulate an effectively reasoned and structured argument;
communicate and present written arguments supported by appropriate evidence demonstrating an appreciation of academic integrity.
effectively apply knowledge to solve practical problems;
analyse, interpret and evaluate complex material;

Learning and Teaching

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching methods include: - Lectures to provide you with knowledge, information and critique of land law within a structured context; - Pre-prepared tutorial work focused on developing your problem solving skills. Learning activities include: - Directed reading assisted by reading lists; - Accessing electronic resources in the form of legislation, journals and case materials; - Reviewing and critically evaluating complex material; - Tackling and solving factual legal problems; - Constructive participation in group discussions and exercises; - Managing tasks within a given timeframe.

Study time
Type	Hours
Completion of assessment task	20
Wider reading or practice	40
Follow-up work	60
Lecture	40
Tutorial	20
Preparation for scheduled sessions	120
Total study time	300

Resources & Reading list

General Resources

Blackboard. The textbooks supplemented by detailed reading lists for lectures and seminars, all available on Blackboard. Primary sources including cases and statutes, and some secondary sources, primarily journal articles, are available in paper and electronic form, the latter through electronic books and legal databases, provided by the Library or otherwise publicly accessible via the worldwide web.

Textbooks

McFarlane, Hopkins and Nield. Land Law: Text, Cases and Materials. Oxford University Press.

Blackstone. Property Statutes. Oxford University Press.

Assessment

Formative

This is how we’ll give you feedback as you are learning. It is not a formal test or exam.

Essay

Assessment Type: Formative
Feedback: Feedback is provided by the mark awarded supported by written tutor feedback following the school’s formative assessment feedback form. Individual oral tutor feedback is provided upon your request.
Final Assessment: No
Group Work: No

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Exam	75%
Coursework	25%

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Exam	100%

Repeat

An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Exam	75%
Coursework	25%

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal & External