Land Laws

The use and supply of land are the focus of land law. It aims to make it easier for a landowner to utilise it or to regulate how others use it; this relationship can lead to 'interests' in the land. This module will look at the various types of property interests that people may have, as well as how the law attempts to resolve disputes through statute, common law, and equity. Land law governs many aspects of our daily lives, including the distinction between property and land, who owns property in the land, who may have access to land, your rights to land as a renter, and what you can do with your land. Land law is unique in that you can own it outright but be restricted in your use of it. There are a variety of reasons for this, including past owner agreements or your failure to discover how the land was utilised when you bought it. As a result, land law is highly influenced by how your neighbours interact with land and what you should have known. Finally, land law seeks to define what interests exist in the land and, as a result, what a person can do with it. Whether the land is registered or unregistered can have an impact on these interests. Aside from possessing a land interest, there are other less visible interests that can arise.