Leases of 21 or more years must be registered in the Deeds Registry

Dear Editor,

I humbly request that you publish the following contribution to the Red House issue as it relates to whether all long leases so described in the Deeds Registry Act, Chapter 5:01 of the Laws of Guyana are required to be registered on that act.

I have not sought the documents relative to that property so I cannot venture an opinion on the legality or otherwise of the lease. This letter is merely to advise that contrary to what is stated in a letter in your issue of January 1, under the caption ‘Red House saga is embarrassing’ by Mr Oscar Ramjeet, a lease for 21 or more years must be registered in the Deeds Registry under section 13 of the Act; it is true that a lease of state lands for any amount of years ‒ 21 or 99 or more years ‒ issued by the President or his representative, is not required to be registered as of record in the Deeds Registry.

Section 13 of the Deeds Registry Act provides that leases of 21 or more years must be filed as record in the Deeds Registry. The proviso to section 13 reads:

“Provided that this section shall not apply to leases by the President of State Lands, and that no lease of any interest in State Lands shall be required to be executed before the Court or to be filed as in this section aforementioned.”

Yours faithfully,

Murseline Bacchus