No mans land/ do I own this?

My partner and I bought our house in July last year, and there’s a small patch of land that is sort of between us, and the lady on the next street over.&#160;<br> on my deeds it doesn’t appear to belong to me, and she states it doesn’t belong to her either.<br> my concern is that there’s a lot of greenery/ bushes there and I’ve been trimming it back so it doesn’t hinder the public but I don’t want to cut too much back/ don’t want to rip it out (it’s a nuisance) without knowing who it belongs to.&#160;<br> I’ve asked the council and they say it isn’t there’s. Any idea who to contact to check?&#160;<br> thanks&#160;

Chloe - you can search online and if the land is registered confirm who owns it for a fee<br> Or we can do the search for you (form SIM - search of the index map)<br> <a href="https://www.gov.uk/search-property-information-land-registry">Search for land and property information - GOV.UK</a>

<p>Hi Adam.</p> <p>I purchased the deeds in September and have a copy but it’s not clear who it belongs to.&#160;</p>

Hi Chloe - the title plan(s) confirm the registered extent so which title is the land part of?

<p>Hi Adam&#160;</p> <p>on our deed Our , there is a small triangular space to the left of our driveway which doesn’t . I’ve been able tO cut back the shrubbery that’s encroaching my property. The neighbour says it’s not on her deed either and she doesn’t claim it as hers..&#160;</p> <p>by my understanding wherever the ‘T’ is and the red lining is your property. My other neighbours boundary has the T facing their house and garden whereas this has nothing, I obviously don’t want to alter it and get in trouble but would like to know whether it’s mine or not&#160;</p>

Hi Chloe - I don't quite follow the post wording but it reads as if there is a small piece of land that's not within the red outline for either you or your neighbour's title plan. If so then it's not included in the registered extent for those two titles.<br> You can search online (by map) or by post to confirm if the land is registered or not. I would recommend the postal option as we complete the search for you -&#160;<a href="https://www.gov.uk/search-property-information-land-registry">Search for land and property information - GOV.UK</a>&#160;<br> If you want to know if the land is yours/or someone else's then apply by post for a search of the index map and provide a plan that is very clear re the land in question. Use a copy of your own title plan to then mark the land on<br> T marks are not an indicator of land ownership. Such markings are often used to explain who is responsible for maintaining a specific boundary feature<br> &#160;

Hi<br> thanks for your reply&#160;<br> apologies for the terrible wording.<br> yes my question was about the small patch seemingly belonging to nobody. If I don’t find out who the land belongs to, where would I stand in figuring out what I can/cannot do with it?&#160;

Hi Chloe - no apology is necessary as we all have different ways of expressing such things<br> What you can/cannot do really comes down to what you think you want to do with it and seeking legal/wider advice as to whether that's viable or not<br> Doing something with the land, that's 'obvious', is one way of perhaps triggering the legal owner to reveal themselves of course<br> If you are looking to try and use/claim the land as your own then definitely seek legal advice as that's a complex area of the law. Our PGs 4 and 5 explain the registration aspects but the legal requirements come first for example -&#160;<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/land-registration-practice-guides#guides-1-to-10">Land registration: Practice guides - GOV.UK</a>

<p>Thanks Adam!</p> <p>for now I guess I’ll just carry on cutting it back away from my property. unsure what to do with regards to cutting away from the public footpath as if it doesn’t belong to me, surely this is the role of another agency.&#160;<br> frustrating, as our solicitors never went over with us whether it was ours or not, and I’m led to believe By others that they should have.</p>

Hi Chloe - it can be frustrating but who is responsible for doing what tends to start with who owns the land as well as who neighbours it and therefore might be affected/caused to do something themselves.&#160;<br> There won't be an 'agency' involved unless they own it&#160;<br> From a conveyancing perspective when you buy a property the conveyancer will usually ask you one Q re the title plan for the property - does it include all the land you expect it to? They don't then research all the adjoining land but rely on you to raise any concerns as appropriate. If you didn't flag it and the seller made no mention either then zero reason in my experience for your conveyancer to have done any more

Hi Adam<br> <br> In terms of applying via post and attaching a copy of my deed, do you have a link where I'm able to do this please?<br> When I choose the link that you've attached in previous messages, for some reason it doesn't load any option for contact by post, just for purchasing the deeds. Also, is there a certain form to fill out?<br> Thanks for all your help so far<br> <br> Chloe

Hi Chloe - see our online guidance for the postal option and using form SIM -&#160;<a href="https://www.gov.uk/get-information-about-property-and-land/search-the-index-map">Get information about property and land: Search the index map - GOV.UK</a>