Writing in the IrishTimes, Suzanne Lynch warns that hundreds of thousands of Irish land documents, some dating from the late 19th century, are to be destroyed as part of the Property Registration Authority’s move towards e-conveyancing. All this has no legal ramifications for banks or property owners as all documents will be converted to electronic information in a database. Although the majority of land certificates date from the 1970s, some of the land certificates are more than 100 years old.
In early 2007 the authority – formerly the Registrar of Deeds and Titles – announced that land certificates were to be abolished by December 31st, 2009, and replaced by an electronic system. Land certificates were introduced in 1892 when the Land Registry was established.
The function of land certificates was to certify the ownership of a particular folio of land. The certificates record all relevant details concerning the ownership of registered land which are also recorded on the land register. Under section 73 of the Registration of Deeds and Title Act 2006, banks are required to pass on any land certificates in their possession to the authority before December 31st where they will be destroyed.
You can read more at http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/1223/1224261159586.html.
My thanks to Steven Smyrl for telling me about this story.
