The Torrens System in Singapore: 75 Years from Conception to Commencement

• Main Author: SEE, Alvin W. L.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2022
• Subjects: Torrens system; land titles registration; Singapore; law reform; Australian model; English law; colonial Singapore; socio-economic forces; political forces; legal transplant; Asian Studies; Legal History; Property Law and Real Estate
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/sol_research/4207; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/sol_research/article/6165/viewcontent/njac004.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

This article tells the story of how the Torrens system of land titles registration came to be adopted in Singapore. From conception to commencement, the entire process took over 75 years, far longer than any other law reform the country has experienced. Particular attention is paid to why the Australian model was preferred despite the significant influence of English law in colonial Singapore. Although as with anything, much of what happened could be attributed to chance, a great deal can be learned from this story, which details the socio-economic and political forces that have shaped the law into what it is, as well as the considerations that have influenced the choices regarding legal transplant.