I recall the last house move. Both properties shared a private driveway.
On the house sold, the full extent of the right of way was more clearly shown on the 1997 Transfer plan than on the Office Copies.
But with the house purchased, it was (at the time) alarming that a small parcel of land at the front of the driveway was not shown on the Office Copies, but it was clearly visible on the 1995 Transfer plan. Furthermore, the local search initially indicated that the land was not part of the adopted highway. I was wondering whether this was a property that had been denied full rights of access.
So, I phoned local land charges, who advised me to speak to the county council’s highway department. I then forwarded to the department photographs of the seemingly ownerless land and surrounding highway.
Imagine to my relief when they confirmed in writing that the piece of land was actually a service strip that formed part of the public highway.
This is a reminder of the importance of checking, where available, the original deed plan, as it might include points of detail that are not on the HMLR title plan. And the highways plan should be checked to see if the property actually abuts the highway.
Indeed, there are many pitfalls associated with rights of way!