Responsibilities of The Court
Apart from adjudicating cases, registration of title to real property is one of the Land Court's most important responsibilities. Registration of title under Massachusetts state law occurs when the Land Court, after having the title exhaustively searched by a Court-appointed examiner, and after due process is afforded to all interested parties, reviews and then adjudicates and decrees the state of the title. Once this process is complete, the current state of the title, as it is sequentially updated by registration of future transactions, is embodied in a certificate of title which both evidences and guarantees title, subject only to the exceptions provided by statute and matters of federal law. The initial decree of registration and the subsequent certificate of title are actions in rem. Registration is useful when title is insufficient to support a conclusion of ownership under the traditional recording system, or is clearly defective, and the putative owner desires to make the title good and marketable.
The court employs a staff of engineers and surveyors to help accomplish the task of determining land title and boundaries. The Land Court also has superintendency authority over the registered land office in each registry of deeds.
Read more about this topic: Massachusetts Land Court
Famous quotes containing the words responsibilities of and/or court:
“Most fathers will admit that having children does not change perceptibly the way they are treated or perceived in the workplace, even if their wives work. Everyone at his workplace assumes that she will take on the responsibilities of the children and the home, even if she too is in the office all day.”
—Anne C. Weisberg (20th century)
“To rear a tiger is to court calamity.”
—Chinese proverb.