Singapore legislation

Section 38

of Land Titles Act

Section 38

Estate of proprietor paramount

Amended by37/7018/76

(1)

Notwithstanding the existence in any other person of any estate or interest, whether derived by grant from the Crown or the State or otherwise, which but for this Act might be held to be paramount or to have priority, and notwithstanding any failure to observe the procedural requirements of this Act, any person who becomes the proprietor of registered land, whether or not he dealt with a proprietor, and notwithstanding any lack of good faith on the part of the person through whom he claims, holds that land free from all encumbrances, liens, estates and interests whatsoever, except such as may be registered or notified in the land-register, but subject to —

(a)

any subsisting exceptions, reservations, covenants, and conditions, contained or implied in the Crown grant, State grant, Crown lease or State lease thereof;

(b)

any subsisting easement or public right of way which was in existence at the date on which the land was brought under the provisions of this Act and any statutory easement implied under section 87;

(c)

any statutory obligation as defined in section 125;

(d)

the power to correct errors conferred on the Registrar by section 142;

(e)

the power to rectify the land-register conferred upon the Court by section 143;

(f)

the rights of any person in occupation of the land under a tenancy when the proprietor became registered as such, provided that the term of the tenancy when created did not exceed 3 years and could not have been extended by exercise of an option of renewal to exceed in the aggregate 3 years; and

(g)

the power conferred on the Court to make a declaration in respect of any transfer or an order to rectify the land-register and the power conferred on the Registrar to suspend or cancel the registration of the transfer and any relating instrument by section 24 of the Residential Property Act [Cap. 274] in respect of any residential property (the expressions “transfer” and “residential property” being within the meaning of that Act).

Amended by37/7018/76

(2)

Nothing in this section shall be held to prejudice the rights and remedies of any person —

(a)

to have the registered title of a proprietor defeated on the ground of fraud or forgery to which that proprietor or his agent was a party, or in which he or his agent colluded;

(b)

to enforce against a proprietor any contract to which that proprietor was a party;

(c)

to enforce against a proprietor who is a trustee the provisions of the trust;

(d)

to recover from a proprietor land acquired by him from a person under a legal disability which was known to the proprietor at the time of dealing; or

(e)

to recover from a proprietor land which has been unlawfully acquired by him in purported exercise of a statutory power or authority.

(3)

Nothing in this section confers on a proprietor claiming otherwise than as a purchaser any better title than was held by his immediate predecessor.[34