What is the purpose and effect of the Unilateral Notice shown in the Charges Register of a registered title?

• A. It gives notice of a third-party claimed interest and protects priority; it does not guarantee the validity of the interest.
• B. It guarantees the validity of the interest claimed.
• C. It extinguishes any prior interests.
• D. It creates an unregistered interest.

Answer: (A)

A Unilateral Notice on the Charges Register serves to alert anyone searching the title that a third‑party claim to an interest in the land exists and to protect that claimant’s position by preserving priority against later dealings. It records the fact of the claimed interest so that a subsequent charge or disposition must take it into account. Importantly, it does not guarantee that the claimed interest is valid or enforceable—the notice simply protects the claimant’s priority and gives them a potential remedy if the interest proves to be enforceable. It also does not extinguish prior interests or create an unregistered interest; it merely records a notice about a claimed interest.