Walter Is The Legal Owner Of The Torrens System

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Question 1 The courts would likely determine that Walter is the legal owner of the house, and Rowena has a moderately strong basis to take legal proceedings to be reinstated as the registered proprietor of the house. The Real Property Act 1900 (NSW) (‘RPA’) provides for the existence of the Torrens system as the organising system of titles and for a corresponding register. Chief Justice Barwick’s judgement in Breskvar v Wall stipulates that the Torrens system “is not a system of registration of title but a system of title by registration”. On the facts it is Walter who is listed as the registered proprietor of the house, who given the Torrens system’s structure is therefore the legal owner of the property. It is moderately likely that Rowena …show more content…

If fraud can be established in Mateo’s acquisition of the property, then the RPA provides that if Walter acquired the title as a volunteer, which is defined as a non-bon fide transferee without “valuable consideration”, then the title is defeasible. Cassegrain v Gerard Cassegrain & Co Pty Ltd established that $1 as consideration for the transfer of a dairy farm was not “valuable consideration” and the transferee was therefore a volunteer. While the court described the $1 as “nominal consideration” it is ambiguous whether the courts would regard the $10,000 that the property was exchanged as amounting to valuable consideration when the property had a known market value of $1.8-$2.2 million. Thus, while Walter is the legal property owner, the degree of ambiguity regarding Walter volunteers status means that it is moderately likely that Rowena has a strong basis to take legal proceedings to be reinstated as the registered proprietor of the …show more content…

The Limitations Act provides that in cases of adverse possession through discontinuance, 12 years must elapse between the adverse possession beginning and the documentary owner to bring an action to recover that land. Adverse possession would likely be established starting in September 2009 with Edwina’s grazing, which means the clock would run out in September 2021. However, pursuant to s 11(3)(b)(ii), Roger’s detention qualifies as a disability which suspends the clock and would leave Roger with 7 months once he leaves jail before the clock runs out. s 52(1)(e)(ii) provides that if upon the end of a disability less than 3 years remain the clock will reset to 3 years remaining which in this case would mean that Roger has until November 2026 before he can no longer reclaim the land. Given the clock has not run out and the necessary time has not elapsed, Roger remains and will remain the legal owner until November 2026. Roger’s erecting of a sign stating that Wattlevale is his property is likely to demonstrate a retaking of possession. Roger, therefore, can pursue court proceedings such as litigation regarding the tort of trespass to obtain a court-ordered injunction to have Edwina and her cows removed. In conclusion, Roger should be advised that he still owns the property and that he can therefore take legal action in the form of litigation to

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