Five buyers purchase a freehold house as beneficiaries in common in equal shares. What will the proprietorship register show?

• A. Tomaz, Dua, Freya and Lucy and a Form A restriction
• B. Tomaz, Dua, Freya and Lucy
• C. Tomaz, Dua, Freya, Lucy and a notice of restriction
• D. Tomaz, Dua, Freya, Lucy and a restriction on transfer

Answer: (C)

Holding the property as beneficiaries in common means there is a trust of land among those owners. On the Land Registry, the registered proprietors are listed as the individuals who hold the legal estate, reflecting their shares. Because the estate is held on trust for multiple beneficiaries, a notice of restriction is entered to signal that the disposition of the estate must comply with the terms of the trust (for example, requiring the trustees’ or beneficiaries’ involvement or consent in future dealings). This protects all beneficiaries and ensures transfers are carried out in accordance with the trust.

So the correct register entry shows the four named beneficiaries as proprietors and also includes a notice of restriction. A Form A restriction would only be used in particular trust scenarios with specific certificate or consent requirements, which isn’t indicated here; a simple restriction on transfer is narrower than what’s shown on the register to reflect a trust.