| Links |
| Link to Land Registry, with much helpful information about the system of land registration works (including the forthcoming system of electronic conveyancing). |
| Link to DfT for information about roads. |
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Link to DEFRA for information about public rights of way (footpaths, bridleways etc) and also common land and access to open land under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. |
| FAQ (frequently asked questions) |
 Q1. Can PRS recommend solicitors expert in the law on private roads? |
| A. Yes - the PRS solicitors! We are happy to refer PRS members to these solicitors on request. If you're not a member of PRS, we suggest you look for a medium-sized firm in your area with a property department who have carried out work for developers (and/or the local authority) and who therefore have experience of property law generally and legal issues relating to roads in particular. |
| Q2: Can single individuals join PRS? |
| A. We're afraid not - our members are residents' associations and management companies who have responsibility for private roads. Our largest member has more than 400 houses, and our smallest has four - we're very much open to small roads as well as large ones. If you don't have a residents' association or company, and want to "get organised" we suggest that you buy our Starter Pack, which includes our book, precedents and guidance notes. All you need to get an association or management company started. |
| Q3. Can PRS advise me about my private road? |
| A. We're sorry, but our advice service is only open to members of PRS, who are residents' associations and management companies. We receive large numbers of requests of this nature, and we're sorry that we cannot respond to them individually. Your solicitor will be able to help you. |
| Q4. How can our residents' association or company join PRS? |
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A. You can fill in the form online, or download a pdf version of the form and complete it by hand. If you prefer a paper version, we'll be glad to send one on request. Our address is on our home page.
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Q5. How can I tell whether a road is private? |
| A: The highway authority - usually the County Council - keeps a statutory list of "highways maintainable at the public expense". If the road is on this list it is not a private road. If it isn't on the list, it is almost certainly a private road; though it may nonetheless be a highway for one or more classes of traffic. |
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Q6. Is it possible to convert a public road into a private one? |
| A: Yes. This involves an application by the local authority to a magistrates' court for a "stopping up" order. We suggest that you (a) buy a copy of our book, so that you can see what is involved in managing a private road, and (b) make contact with the local authority, to see whether they would be willing to make the necessary application on your behalf. They will probably want to be sure that all residents support the proposal. Residents will be expected to pay for the making of the application. You will need to think about the consequences of stopping up, in particular the fact that ownership of the road will revert to the previous owner (i.e. the person who owned it before the local authority), and the need for residents to have private rights of way, if the public right of way are extinguished. |
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Q7. Does your book contain the answer to the problem which I have? |
| A: For details of the contents, please click here. Or you can ask your public library to obtain a copy of the book for you, so that you can see what it says. The current edition is the fourth, published in January 2007. |
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Q8. I'm thinking of buying a house in a private road. Can you advise me? |
| A: We're afraid not; but your solicitor will be able to do so, and for background information please see our page on private roads. |
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Q9. I would like more information about PRS insurance for private roads. |
| A. Please see our insurance page for more details. |
| Q10. What about private roads and estates in Scotland and Northern Ireland? Can they join PRS? |
| A. We can't offer the same level of service, because the law may be different. But subject to that we are happy to offer membership - at a reduced rate - for private roads and estates in Scotland and Northern Ireland who wish to take advantage of our special insurance scheme. |
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Q11. Is PRS insurance available without membership? |
| A. We're afraid not. Membership and insurance go together: the reason why the insurers are prepared to offer such advantageous rates is that PRS members are likely to be better organised and more responsible in the way they manage private roads, hence a better risk. |
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Q12. Why haven't you replied to my email? |
| A. We're sorry that we can't reply individually to all of the many emails we receive from members of the public asking for help and advice . These FAQ provide the answers to the most frequently-asked questions. |
| Q13. Why haven't you sent me an information pack as requested? |
| A. We don't send these out to roads which don't have a residents' association or management company. If your aim is to start an association or company, you may be interested in our Starter Pack (see above). |
