What is the purpose of a unilateral notice in the charges register?

• A. Protects the priority of the third-party interest/claim
• B. Notifies the mortgage provider of the instrument
• C. Increases the value of the property
• D. Eliminates other encumbrances

Answer: (A)

A unilateral notice is a warning placed on the charges register by someone who has, or asserts, a third‑party interest in the land and wants to safeguard that interest against later dealings. Its purpose is to protect the priority of that third‑party claim, so that when a lender later comes to register a charge, the third party’s interest is recognised and given proper consideration. It keeps the third party’s rights alive against new interests rather than letting them be overridden simply by the property being charged.

This isn’t about notifying a mortgage provider per se, nor does it increase the property’s value or remove other encumbrances. It’s about preserving priority for the third party’s claim on the register.