Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Related legal acts

Key definition

Priority definition

What does Priority mean? Priority describes the order in which competing proprietary rights and security interests take effect against an asset and the sequence in which secured creditors are paid on enforcement or insolvency. It is a cross‑context concept informed by statute and case law (for example, land registration legislation, companies legislation on registration of charges, and equitable rules on notice). In practice, priority is usually set by time and method of perfection: creation and registration of mortgages/standard securities over land (e.g. under the Land Registration Act 2002 in England and Wales and the 2012 Scottish legislation), registration of company charges (at Companies House under...

Priority of security interests: worked examples across fixed and floating charges, shares, receivables, land, tacking and registration under English law

Published by a LexisNexis Banking & Finance expert

Practice notes

Practice Note: priority between security interests

This Practice Note provides illustrations of how the rules on priority may operate in practice with reference to the relevant English law principles. It complements, and should be read alongside, our other Practice Notes on priority. New examples are added to this Practice Note on a regular basis. If you encounter a priority issue in practice that you would like us to cover, please use the LexisAsk function to inform us. Practice Note: Priority between security interests outlines the rules on priority from a more technical standpoint and should be consulted for the black letter law that supports the practical examples in this Practice Note. It is important to recognise that English law priority rules are complex and are widely acknowledged not to be clear in every respect. Outcomes can also be influenced by the parties’ actions, meaning law firms will often decline to provide an opinion on the priority of security and specialist advice may need to be obtained if there is a dispute. For an explanation of how priorities are affected by registration at companies house and the various asset registries, see Practice Notes:

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Web page updated on 28/05/2026

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