Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Key definition

Rectification definition

What does Rectification mean? Rectification, in land registration practice, is the alteration of the register of title to correct a mistake that adversely affects a registered proprietor’s title. In England and Wales, the Land Registration Act 2002 (Schedule 4) defines rectification as an alteration correcting a mistake which prejudicially affects the title of a registered proprietor; it may be ordered by the court or made by HM Land Registry in limited cases, with indemnity generally available for loss. Typical situations include erroneous entries, wrongful cancellations, boundary and description errors, and registrations obtained by fraud. In Scotland, under the Land Registration etc. (Scotland) Act 2012, the...

Rectification of contracts and deeds in England and Wales: principles, admissible evidence, standard of proof, unilateral mistake, delay, and construction as an alternative

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Practice notes

This Practice Note explains when a rectification claim may be suitable, what you must prove to succeed, and which evidence may be admissible in support.

What is rectification?

Rectification is an equitable remedy intended to correct a document so that it reflects the parties’ true intentions.

When contracting, the parties may have shared a common intention about the meaning of their agreement at the time of drafting, yet that intention is not captured in the wording; ie it diverges from the objective meaning of the contractual document as determined in accordance with the rules of contract interpretation (on which, more generally, see Practice Note: Contract interpretation—rules of contract interpretation). In those circumstances, a claim for rectification may be appropriate.

As Hildyard J observed in Procter & Gamble v Svenska Cellulosa, the purpose of rectification is not to vary, modify or extend the bargain; it is to reform the instrument used to record it so that it conforms to the parties’ genuine common intention at the time it was made.

In approaching a claim for rectification, the court will apply a...

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Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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