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England and Wales High Court voids legal charge after intentional unilateral post-execution amendment; materiality assessed by potential prejudice (Pigot's Case) (Boult v Together Personal Finance Ltd)

Published on: 15 April 2026

Published by a LexisNexis Banking & Finance expert
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Boult v Together Personal Finance Ltd [2026] EWHC 809 (Ch)

What was the background?

The respondent lender, Together Personal Finance Ltd, granted a short-term secured loan to the appellant, Ms Boult, with security taken by way of a legal charge over her home. The borrower had expressly agreed that only the house would be charged, and she executed the legal charge on that footing. After execution, and without her knowledge or consent, the lender’s solicitors altered the instrument by adding, in handwriting, a second property owned by her. The amended charge was then registered against both titles at HM Land Registry. The borrower later discovered the inclusion of this additional property and challenged the validity of the charge. Possession proceedings were issued in the County Court, where she relied on the rule in Pigot’s Case (1614) 11 Co Rep 26, asserting that the unauthorised alteration rendered the charge void. The judge rejected that defence, concluding that the change amounted to a non-material mistake...

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