Alteration otherwise than pursuant to a court order
233.Paragraph 5 gives the registrar power to alter the register without the need for the matter to be considered by a court. The registrar may alter the register for the same purposes as the court can under paragraph 2 and additionally, he can remove a superfluous entry. The ability to remove superfluous entries is likely to be important with the advent of electronic conveyancing to enable conveyancers to make changes to the register without the inconvenience of dealing with entries which are no longer current. Rules may specify the circumstances in which the registrar is under a duty to alter the register in situations where the alteration does not prejudicially affect the title of the registered proprietor, i.e. when rectification is not involved. Rules may deal with how the register is to be altered, about applications for alteration (including imposing a requirement for an application to be made) and the procedure to be adopted in making alterations (including whether or not an application is required).
234.Paragraph 6 relates only to rectification cases, that is where the alteration to the register prejudicially affects the title of the registered proprietor. The same principles applied to court proceedings for rectification apply to proceedings before the registrar. Rectification can only be ordered by the registrar against a proprietor of land in possession in the limited cases explained in the notes to paragraph 2. The meaning of “a registered estate in land” is the same and the registrar is placed under a duty to make an order for rectification, where he has power to do so, unless exceptional circumstances exist. If there is an objection to an application to rectify the register, however, the registrar is under a duty to refer the matter to the adjudicator for determination (see section 73(7)). Any contested application for rectification will therefore be resolved by the adjudicator.