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Land law

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This module will introduce you to many aspects of land law using multi-media sources and a range of activities. It will consider what land is and how it is owned and regulated. The module is focussed on land law in the UK, mainly England and Wales, however within the module, you'll be introduced to some of the different ways that different cultures and legal systems consider land. There will also be an opportunity to begin to explore property litigation and the skills involved.

What you will study

The module aims to provide you with the opportunity to explore and develop your interest in land law. It will focus on various aspects of land law, including co-ownership, contested spaces, comparative land law and cohabitation.

This module is comprised of three blocks of study.

Block 1: Fundamental aspects of land law
In this block, you'll:
  • explore what property is, and how land is defined and divided
  • consider the human rights aspects of land law
  • discover the foundational concepts of land law
  • consider the legal relationship between landlord and tenant.
Block 2: Conflicts and rights in land law
In this block, you'll:
  • consider how it is possible to have rights over someone else’s property
  • discover specialist land law doctrine
  • learn about how property issues are litigated and the skills needed for litigation.
Block 3: Relationships and rights in land ownership
In this block, you'll:
  • reflect on ownership of property where there is more than one person who is a part owner, and what is the legal position of someone who is not an owner, living in someone else’s property
  • explore the legal situation around the occupation of land belonging to someone else without permission
  • discover how concepts of land and its legal regulation differ widely around the world.

By the end of this module, you should be able to explain and analyse the law in relation to a wide variety of areas of land law whilst also demonstrating numerous skills which will be of benefit to your future employability, including problem-solving, communication and initiative.

You'll be able to discuss and debate what the law is in the areas studied, consider how it affects you on an individual basis as well as wider society, potential flaws in the law and possible areas of reform. You'll also be able to identify how the law affects others, recognising where the law is failing to protect the vulnerable or to enable social justice, fairness or equal opportunities in society.

Professional recognition

The Foundations of Legal Knowledge (FLK) route of the Bachelor of Laws (Honours) (LLB) will be accredited by the Council of Legal Education (Northern Ireland) as a recognised law degree, subject to time limits, exempting you from the academic stage of legal training to become a barrister or solicitors in Northern Ireland.

Completing the FLK route within the specified time limits will enable you to self-certify that you have fulfilled the requirements set by the Bar Standards Board to be exempt from the academic stage of training if you wish to become a barrister in England and Wales.

Entry requirements

You must have successfully completed 60 credits of study from OU level 2 modules prior to studying this OU level 3 module. We recommend Public law (W211) and Contract law (W212).

If you have any doubt about the suitability of the module, please speak to an adviser.

Preparatory work

You might find the following resources useful in preparation for this module:

What's included

You will be provided with the module textbook Land Law, Third Edition (Chris Bevan, 2022), and have access to a module website, which includes:

  • an eBook version of the module textbook
  • a week-by-week study planner
  • course-specific module materials
  • audio and video content
  • assignment details and submission section
  • online tutorial access and tutor support.

Computing requirements

You’ll need broadband internet access and a desktop or laptop computer with an up-to-date version of Windows (10 or 11) or macOS Ventura or higher.

Any additional software will be provided or is generally freely available.

To join in spoken conversations in tutorials, we recommend a wired headset (headphones/earphones with a built-in microphone).

Our module websites comply with web standards, and any modern browser is suitable for most activities.

Our OU Study mobile app will operate on all current, supported versions of Android and iOS. It’s not available on Kindle.

It’s also possible to access some module materials on a mobile phone, tablet device or Chromebook. However, as you may be asked to install additional software or use certain applications, you’ll also require a desktop or laptop, as described above.

Teaching and assessment

Support from your tutor

Throughout your module studies, you’ll get help and support from your assigned module tutor. They’ll help you by:

  • marking your assignments (TMAs) and providing detailed feedback for you to improve
  • guiding you to additional learning resources
  • providing individual guidance, whether that’s for general study skills or specific module content
  • facilitating online discussions between your fellow students in the dedicated module and tutor group forums.

Module tutors also run online tutorials throughout the module. Where possible, recordings of online tutorials will be made available to students. While these tutorials won’t be compulsory for you to complete the module, you’re strongly encouraged to take part.

Assessment

The assessment details for this module can be found in the facts box.

If you have a disability

The OU strives to make all aspects of study accessible to everyone and this Accessibility Statement outlines what studying W312 involves. You should use this information to inform your study preparations and any discussions with us about how we can meet your needs.

Future availability

Land law starts once a year – in February. This page describes the module that will start in February 2025. We expect it to start for the last time in February 2031.

Course work includes:

2 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs)
End-of-module assessment