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Class C land charge meaning

What does Class C land charge mean?
An interest affecting unregistered land in England and Wales that must be protected by entry on the Land Charges Register to bind purchasers. In practice, “Class C land charge” refers to the statutory group in the Land Charges Act 1972, s 2(4), comprising: C(i) puisne mortgages; C(ii) limited owner’s charges; C(iii) general equitable charges; and C(iv) estate contracts (including options to purchase and rights of pre-emption). Class C entries are registered against the name of the estate owner, not against the title to the land. Typical use is in unregistered conveyancing: a buyer or lender searches the Land Charges Register, and priority depends on registration, not notice. If a registrable Class C charge is not registered, it is generally void against a purchaser for money or money’s worth, so it will not bind the buyer or lender. The concept and terminology are specific to England and Wales. Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland use different recording systems for property burdens and do not classify charges as “Class C”.
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View the related Practice Notes about Class C land charge

PRACTICE NOTES
Land charges in unregistered land: registration, classes and search requirements under the Land Charges Act 1972 (England and Wales)

The Land Charges Act 1972 (LCA 1972) The LCA 1972 sets out a scheme under which particular charges and incumbrances concerning unregistered land are to be entered as land charges on the land charges register, maintained by the Land Charges Department of HM Land Registry, which is based at its office in Plymouth. That register is completely separate from the register used for substantive title registration. Land charges operate to safeguard the interests, in unregistered land, of third parties who do not possess the title deeds to the land and therefore cannot control when and how the land is dealt with or disposed of. If a charge, or an obligation that affects unregistered land, is not protected by the registration of a land charge, there is a risk that valuable property rights will be lost. In addition, the LCA 1972 requires HM Land Registry, alongside the land charges register, to keep the following registers: pending land actions and pending actions in bankruptcy writs...

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PRACTICE NOTES
Comprehensive Glossary of Property Law and Practice (England and Wales)

FORTHCOMING CHANGE: The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 obtained Royal Assent on 27 October 2025. For guidance on the Act’s effect on residential tenancies in England, see Practice Note: Renters’ Rights Act 2025—key provisions... A Absolute title A category of title available for registered land. Absolute title is the strongest class that can be granted; it denotes that, apart from matters on the register and any overriding interests, nothing affects the registered proprietor’s freedom to deal with the land... Abstract (of title) A certified summary, prepared by a lawyer, setting out the contents of the title deeds for a particular property... Acquiring authority See Compulsory purchase... Act of Parliament Legislation passed by both Houses of Parliament in the form of a written Bill and given Royal Assent. Sometimes called primary legislation. See also Secondary legislation... Adoption The legal process by which a highway in private ownership becomes a highway maintainable at the public expense....

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Q&As
LRHUDA 1993 s.13: post-notice easements and taking free

This Q&A considers a landlord’s ability to deal with their premises following service of a notice under section 13 of the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 (LRHUDA 1993). Once a section 13 notice is served, a statutory process begins that enables flat tenants to act together to buy the freehold of their building. The rights created by that notice ought to be safeguarded by entering an agreed or unilateral notice on the freehold title, or, where the landlord’s title is unregistered, by registering a class C(iv) land charge...

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