Afghan Land Consulting Organization Introduction to land rights and land registration ALCO September 2009

Afghan Land Consulting Organization -Understand the concept of land rights and their sources -Understand the concept of land registration, its history and and its benefits -Review the different forms of land registration across the world and discuss their main characteristics Objective of the lecture

Afghan Land Consulting Organization 1.The perception of land 2.Land ownership as a “bundle of rights” 3.Sources of land rights and most common types of rights 4.Definition and history of land registration 5.Benefits, forms and actors of land registration 6.Land registration in Afghanistan 7.Conclusions Content of the lecture

Afghan Land Consulting Organization -as a geometrically defined space (surveyor) -as a legally defined space (lawyer) -as a productive capital (investor) -as a taxable asset (assessor) -as a tradable commodity (economist) -as a common resource (planner) -as an ancestral legacy (sociologist) -as an ecosystem (environmentalist) -etc. The perception of land Depending on societies, times and professional background, land is perceived differently:

Afghan Land Consulting Organization -to erect a building or restrict construction -to sell or lease -to bequeath to heirs -to graze livestocks or grow crops -to extract water or minerals -to pass through -to pledge as collateral or foreclose in case of payment default -to eminent domain -etc. Land ownership = “Bundle of rights” Rights:

Afghan Land Consulting Organization -Constitution and statutory laws -Religious law (Sharia) -Customs and traditions -Jurisprudence Sources of land rights creates a continuum of rights Source: UN-HABITAT (2008)

Afghan Land Consulting Organization Most common types of land tenure rights encountered worldwide -Freehold rights: private, exclusive ownership -Leasehold rights: land use rights for a limited time span -Collective or group rights: eg. grazing, water, passage rights -Possession rights: customary ownership, squatting Recorded: Unrecorded:  Many variations exist

Afghan Land Consulting Organization Definition of land registration “Act of recording in a public register for public review the rights (and restrictions, and responsibilities) affecting a tract of land”

Afghan Land Consulting Organization -Babylonian clay tablets 4000 BC History of land registration (1/12)

Afghan Land Consulting Organization -Babylonian clay tablets 4000 BC -Egyptians 3000 BC History of land registration (2/12) Source: Land Registration and Cadastral Systems (Gerhard Larsson)

Afghan Land Consulting Organization -Babylonian clay tablets 4000 BC -Egyptians 3000 BC -Italy 1600 BC History of land registration (3/12) Source: Land Registration and Cadastral Systems (Gerhard Larsson)

Afghan Land Consulting Organization -Babylonian clay tablets 4000 BC -Egyptians 3000 BC -Italy 1600 BC -Roman cadastre 300 AD History of land registration (4/12) Source:

Afghan Land Consulting Organization -Babylonian clay tablets 4000 BC -Egyptians 3000 BC -Italy 1600 BC -Roman cadastre 300 AD -Carolingian polyptychs 800 AD History of land registration (5/12)

Afghan Land Consulting Organization -Babylonian clay tablets 4000 BC -Egyptians 3000 BC -Italy 1600 BC -Roman cadastre 300 AD -Carolingian polyptychs 800 AD -Domesday Book 1086 AD History of land registration (6/12)

Afghan Land Consulting Organization -Babylonian clay tablets 4000 BC -Egyptians 3000 BC -Italy 1600 BC -Roman cadastre 300 AD -Carolingian polyptychs 800 AD -Domesday Book 1086 AD -Manorial Court rolls 1250 AD History of land registration (7/12)

Afghan Land Consulting Organization -Babylonian clay tablets 4000 BC -Egyptians 3000 BC -Italy 1600 BC -Roman cadastre 300 AD -Carolingian polyptychs 800 AD -Domesday Book 1086 AD -Manorial Court rolls 1250 AD -Napoleonic Cadastre 1807 AD History of land registration (8/12)

Afghan Land Consulting Organization -Babylonian clay tablets 4000 BC -Egyptians 3000 BC -Italy 1600 BC -Roman cadastre 300 AD -Carolingian polyptychs 800 AD -Domesday Book 1086 AD -Manorial Court rolls 1250 AD -Napoleonic Cadastre 1807 AD -Torrens Title System 1858 AD History of land registration (9/12)

Afghan Land Consulting Organization -Babylonian clay tablets 4000 BC -Egyptians 3000 BC -Italy 1600 BC -Roman cadastre 300 AD -Carolingian polyptychs 800 AD -Domesday Book 1086 AD -Manorial Court rolls 1250 AD -Napoleonic Cadastre 1807 AD -Torrens Title System 1858 AD -German Grundbuch 1871 AD History of land registration (10/12)

Afghan Land Consulting Organization -Babylonian clay tablets 4000 BC -Egyptians 3000 BC -Italy 1600 BC -Roman cadastre 300 AD -Carolingian polyptychs 800 AD -Domesday Book 1086 AD -Manorial Court rolls 1250 AD -Napoleonic Cadastre 1807 AD -Torrens Title System 1858 AD -German Grundbuch 1871 AD -Computerized registries 1980s AD History of land registration (11/12)

Afghan Land Consulting Organization -Babylonian clay tablets 4000 BC, Egyptians 3000 BC -Italy 1600 BC -Roman cadastre 300 AD -Carolingian polyptychs 800 AD -Domesday Book 1086 AD -Manorial Court rolls 1250 AD -Napoleonic Cadastre 1807 AD -Torrens Title System 1858 AD -German Grundbuch 1871 AD -Computerized registries 1980s AD -E-conveyancing 2010 AD History of land registration (12/12) ? ?

Afghan Land Consulting Organization Why recording land rights ? - To protect right holders from competing claims - To give an order of priority to competing claims - To protect a potential purchaser from a fraudulent transaction - To give publicity to restrictions attached to land - To give right to financial compensation in case of expropriation - To facilitate access to collateral-based credit (mortgage) The legal status of records depends on the manner in which a transfer of rights is confirmed and documented

Afghan Land Consulting Organization Evidence of the transfer of rights Oral agreement Private conveyance Deed registration Title registration Witnesses Deed no registration Registration - No guarantee Registration – Proof of title Source: Land Registration and Cadastral Systems (Gerhard Larsson) Means of transfer Evidence

Afghan Land Consulting Organization Deed/Title Source: International Land Systems (ILS)

Afghan Land Consulting Organization -a record evidencing that a transaction took place -not a legal proof of ownership Deed registration A deed is … -is presumed when an unbroken “chain of deeds” over a prescribed period of time can be established Ownership right … -may be mandatory (France) or voluntary (Spain, Netherlands) -may cover the entire country (France) or part of it (Afghanistan) Deed registration …

Afghan Land Consulting Organization -a record of rights and restrictions attached to a tract of land -is legally conclusive -Is guaranteed by the State Title registration A title is … -is proven by the title (no need for further research) Ownership right … -may be mandatory (Dubai), voluntary (Australia) or both (England) -may cover the entire country (Germany) or part of it (China, England) Title registration …

Afghan Land Consulting Organization

Typical registration process Grantee (buyer) Grantor (seller) Conveyancer Surveyor Registrar Verifies parties’ identities Verifies titles and encumbrances Informs about restrictions and responsibilities Informs other interested parties about the dealings Drafts contract/deed Collects and executes payments Examines draft deed Registers deed Issues certificate of title solicits Demarcates property boundaries Updates cadastral plan  Many variations exist

Afghan Land Consulting Organization -Local Courts (Afghanistan, Germany, Denmark) -State Land Offices (England, Australia, Dubai) -Cadastral Agency (Netherlands, Uzbekistan) -Ministry of Finance (France, Lebanon) -Municipalities (China) Land registration professionals The Registar -Private (US, France, Denmark) -Public (Afghanistan, Netherlands, China) The Surveyor The Conveyancer -Notaries, solicitors, lawyers, bankers, promoters

Afghan Land Consulting Organization Land registration systems across the world

Afghan Land Consulting Organization Land registration in Afghanistan -Around 5 millions properties (roughly) -Vast majority of transactions are unregistered (private conveyance) -Appeals Courts act as Deed Registrar -700 to 800,000 deeds registered with the courts -No conveyancer -Amlak and municipalities keep separate land records as assumption of rights -There is a Cadastre but incomplete and not involved in land registration

Afghan Land Consulting Organization Conclusions