Supreme Court Ruling on Property Boundary Disputes

The Supreme Court has handed down a significant judgment in Smith v Jones [2024] UKSC 15, providing much-needed clarity on how courts should approach boundary disputes. The case concerned a long-running disagreement between neighbours in Surrey regarding the exact line of their shared boundary.

The Decision

Lord Justice Harrington, delivering the lead judgment, confirmed that the starting point for any boundary dispute remains the conveyance and the plan attached to it. However, where the physical features on the ground differ from the plan, extrinsic evidence may be admissible to determine the true boundary line.