What is the purpose of a Form A ('co-ownership') restriction?

• A. It prevents a transfer on sale being registered unless overreaching has taken place.
• B. It prevents mortgage registration.
• C. It prevents any transfer at all.
• D. It prevents lease renewal.

Answer: (A)

Form A is a co-ownership restriction on the land register. Its purpose is to ensure that when property is owned by two or more people, a transfer on sale cannot be registered until any beneficial interests held by the co-owners have been overreached. In practice, this means the sale proceeds must be used to satisfy those interests (the overreaching process) before the buyer’s legal title is registered, so the purchaser takes free from the equitable claims attached to the land. It does not relate to mortgages or leases, and it does not prevent transfers outright—only those involving co-owners where overreaching is required.