Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has made an assessment of the impact of claims of Adverse Possession on land and homeowners.

HM Land Registry has operational responsibility for considering land registration applications based on adverse possession. Applicants must lodge formal evidence in the form of a statutory declaration or statement of truth to support their claim.

HM Land Registry investigates the validity of such claims by undertaking site inspections and serving notice on affected parties. Any person who makes a fraudulent claim can be prosecuted under the Fraud Act 2006.

Most claims of adverse possession are undisputed and relate to small areas of land between adjoining landowners which have been occupied for many years. They are a means to regularise ownership.