A Non domino disposition meaning

An a non domino disposition is a deed by which someone who is not the true owner purports to transfer land. In Scottish conveyancing it is used to start the process of acquiring title to apparently ownerless or abandoned land where no proprietor can be traced. The term is descriptive (not defined in statute), but its use is now governed by the Land Registration etc. (Scotland) Act 2012. Since 8 December 2014, an applicant must proceed as a prescriptive claimant under sections 43–45 before the Keeper (Registers of Scotland) will accept an a non domino deed for registration. Registration is typically accepted only after prescribed inquiries and notifications and is usually without Keeper’s warranty. If, after registration, the grantee possesses the land openly, peaceably and without judicial interruption for 10 years, positive prescription under the Prescription and Limitation (Scotland) Act 1973 can perfect the title; until then, it remains vulnerable to challenge by any true owner. Common uses include regularising title to verges, strips and long-abandoned plots. The term is not used in England & Wales, Northern Ireland or Ireland, where comparable outcomes are pursued via adverse possession regimes.