LW102-5-FY-CO:
Land Law

The details
2024/25
Essex Law School
Colchester Campus
Full Year
Undergraduate: Level 5
Current
Thursday 03 October 2024
Friday 27 June 2025
30
01 July 2024

 

Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)

 

(none)

Key module for

LLB M100CS Law,
LLB M100MS Law,
LLB M100TS Law,
LLB M103 Law (Senior Status),
LLB MM20 Law with Human Rights,
LLB MM21 Law with Human Rights (Including Year Abroad),
LLB MM22 Law with Human Rights (Including Placement Year),
LLB MM30 Law with Human Rights (Including Foundation Year),
LLB MV06 Law with Philosophy (Including Foundation Year),
LLB MV16 Law with Philosophy,
LLB MV18 Law with Philosophy (Including Year Abroad),
LLB MV19 Law with Philosophy (Including Placement Year),
LLB ML14 Law with Politics (Including Year Abroad),
LLB ML15 Law with Politics (Including Placement Year),
LLB ML16 Law with Politics,
LLB ML26 Law with Politics (Including Foundation Year),
LLB MN00 Law with Business,
LLB MN01 Law with Business (Including Year Abroad),
LLB MN02 Law with Business (Including Placement Year),
LLB MN03 Law with Business (Including Foundation Year),
LLB MN10 Law with Finance,
LLB MN11 Law with Finance (Including Year Abroad),
LLB MN12 Law with Finance (Including Placement Year),
LLB MN13 Law with Finance (Including Foundation Year),
LLB MM00 Law with Criminology,
LLB MM01 Law with Criminology (Including Year Abroad),
LLB MM02 Law with Criminology (Including Placement Year),
LLB MM03 Law with Criminology (Including Foundation Year),
LLB M123 Licence English and French Law (Double Degree),
LLB M1Q3 Law with Literature,
LLB M1Q4 Law with Literature (Including Foundation Year),
LLB M1Q5 Law with Literature (Including Placement Year),
LLB M1Q6 Law with Literature (Including Year Abroad),
LLB M1V1 Law with History,
LLB M1V2 Law with History (Including Foundation Year),
LLB M1V3 Law with History (Including Placement Year),
LLB M1V4 Law with History (Including Year Abroad)

Module description

Land law is a topic that affects all of us, often in different ways, playing a fundamental role in regulating people's rights over one of the most valuable and useful legal assets.


This module is designed to provide students with a sound understanding of the key features of land law, including its underlying principles and its importance in regulating property relations in response to social policy needs. Students will learn about the distinction between personal property and land, the framework for establishing and enforcing various different interests in land. It also introduces students to the principles of equity and their role in resolving property disputes.

Module aims

The aims of this module are:



  • To provide students with an understanding of how legal interests in property land are categorised, how they relate to one another, and how the law can resolve the most typical types of disputes about land.

  • To gain a critical understanding of how policy interests inform land law, such as by examining the laws of leases and mortgages.

  • To provide an introduction of the principles of equity, and examine how equitable principles have shaped the law’s approach to disputes around ownership of family homes.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:



  1. Understand the categorisation of interests in land and their characteristics.

  2. Analyse the difference between common law and equity, and the role of trusts of land.

  3. Analyse and apply legal principles, rules and concepts to resolve complex disputes related to land, interpreting case law and legislation effectively.

  4. Critically evaluate how law balances competing tensions between the need for certainty in conveyancing and for achieving social justice.

  5. Demonstrate proficiency in legal reasoning and legal writing, and in advising clients on complex land law matters.

  6. Extract and synthesise relevant information from diverse legal sources and client interviews.

  7. Communicate legal advice clearly and concisely across different formats, tailoring advice to audience and purpose.

  8. Collaborate effectively with peers to develop detailed legal solutions and present persuasive arguments.

  9. Manage workload efficiently, independently conducting research, writing, and legal analysis.

Module information

Students will acquire the above knowledge and skills via a combination of lectures, tutorials and VLE resources, focusing around the following topics (with skills-based teaching having dedicated session as well as incorporated in all topics):


Autumn term



  • Introduction to land law and advanced legal academic skills

  • The idea and forms of property

  • The horizontal and vertical boundaries of land

  • Lost/found property and treasure

  • Fixtures and chattels

  • Introduction to 'equity' and the law of trusts

  • Land registration


Spring term



  • Proprietary estoppel

  • Co-ownership and trusts of the family home

  • Leases and licences

  • Easements

  • Freehold covenants

  • Mortgages

  • Values in contract law

  • Revision

Learning and teaching methods

This module will be delivered via:

  • One 1-hour lecture per week
  • One 1-hour tutorial per week

Additionally, the module requires students to complete a fortnightly MCQ via Moodle, to provide regular feedback, assist in tutorial preparation, and allow teaching staff to identify students with engagement needs. Your tutorials will enable you to discuss the material covered in lectures and the required readings, obtain feedback on your pre-class preparation and deepen your understanding of key concepts.

Bibliography

The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course.
The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students.
Further reading can be obtained from this module's reading list.

Assessment items, weightings and deadlines

Coursework / exam Description Deadline Coursework weighting
Coursework   Formative Essay (LW102 Land Law)    0% 
Coursework   Multiple Choice Questions - Continuous Assessment (LW102 Land Law)    15% 
Coursework   Assignment 2 (LW102-5-FY Land Law)     50% 
Coursework   Assignment 1 (LW102 Land Law)    35% 
Exam  Main exam: In-Person, Open Book (Restricted), 180 minutes during Summer (Main Period) 
Exam  Reassessment Main exam: In-Person, Open Book (Restricted), 180 minutes during January 

Exam format definitions

  • Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
  • In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
  • In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
  • In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary, for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.

Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.

Overall assessment

Coursework Exam
70% 30%

Reassessment

Coursework Exam
100% 0%
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Edward Mitchell, email: edward.mitchell@essex.ac.uk.
The Law Education Admin Team - lawschoolug@essex.ac.uk

 

Availability
Yes
No
No

External examiner

No external examiner information available for this module.
Resources
Available via Moodle
Of 30 hours, 8 (26.7%) hours available to students:
0 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
22 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s), module, or event type.

 

Further information
Essex Law School

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