Family lived in house since 1800s now map shows we not owners

My great grandparents, grandparents and father lived in a cottage, my father left the cottage in the 1950s, he has receipts of taxes paid in relation to the cottage up to 1979, I his son have maintained the now derelict house up to presently.

It has now come to light that in an original map and in a land registry map that neighbours of ours are the owners of the land where the house is built.

There has been no 12 year gap where we haven't used or maintained the house someway, we have some pictures etc to show this. Do they have a case? We have census records to show our family lived there, is there anywhere else we could go to find further information e.g. land registry etc.

Living in a property does not automatically imply that you own it.

Obviously a deed of sale or perhaps a will showing that the property was passed on may give some indication of ownership but ...

mouse2 said:

I his son have maintained the now derelict house up to presently.

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Thats a contradiction,it clearly hasnt been maintained?I take it the next door neighbours are claiming squatters rights?
I would be straight on to a Solicitor if this is the case to see exactly where I stand.

Thanks for your replies, yes the neighbours are seeking squatters rights. The house was never put in a will just handed down to the next generation. The house was maintained in the sense trees etc were cut around the house and roof repaired to keep house intact.

Will get onto my solicitor, will probably cost more in legal fees then cost of house!

mouse2 said:

The house was never put in a will just handed down to the next generation.

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If the property was "owned" by your family then the transfer of ownership for father to son would have to be registered with the land registry. If this was not done and the land registry is saying you never owned it anyway the your famaily probably never owned it.

I'd say your predecessors would have had squatters rights though not the neighbours

What you're saying doesn't make sense. If the neighbours land registry map incorporates this house, then they don't need to claim squattors title, they are already the registered owners.

Did you or your family get a notice or a letter from the Property Registration Authority or these neighbours? How do you know they are trying to 'claim title' to it?

BTW it is entirely possible that a property could be registered to someone in error- when the Irish Land Commission vesting orders were being registered, mistakes were made and this can happen.

I think you do need to see a solicitor because what you have said here is contradictory.