Registration of Deeds Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997

Lodgment of documents by post and allocation of serial numbers

6.—(1) Subject to paragraph (7) every document lodged in the registry of deeds by sending by post shall be allocated a serial number according to—

(a) the calendar year in which the document is so lodged, and

(b) the sequential order in date and time of such lodgment as determined in accordance with paragraphs (2) to (5).

(2) Any such documents which are received on or after the final closure of the registry of deeds to the public for the transaction of business on a working day and prior to the first opening of that registry to the public for the transaction of business on the next working day shall be treated as having been lodged at the same time and immediately on such first opening.

(3) Any such documents which are received after the first opening of the registry of deeds to the public for the transaction of business on a working day and prior to the final closure of that registry to the public for the transaction of business on that day shall be treated as having been lodged at the same time and immediately before such final closure on that day.

(4) The sequential order in time for the allocation of serial numbers to those documents that are treated as having been lodged at the same time shall, as between themselves, be as follows—

(a) envelopes containing such documents shall, as between themselves, be opened in random order and, subject to sub-paragraphs (b) and (c), the contents of envelopes shall be allocated serial numbers in the order of opening of such envelopes;

(b) where two or more such documents are sent in the same envelope, the sender shall expressly direct in writing the order, as between the documents, in which the documents should be registered and the documents shall be allocated appropriate sequential serial numbers to effect registration in such order;

(c) in the absence of such an express direction in writing, the serial numbers for such documents shall be allocated, as between themselves, in the order in which they are extracted from the envelope.

(5) The direction in writing referred to in paragraph (4)(b) may be in Form 2.

(6) The serial number shall be allocated to each document on the same day as that on which the document is received in the registry of deeds in accordance with paragraphs (2) and (3).

(7) Where a duplicate or counterpart copy of a document has been lodged in pursuance of this regulation for registration at the same time as the original document, the duplicate or counterpart copy shall be given the same serial number as the original.