A municipality that was dilatory to collect a debt cannot refuse to issue a ‎document required by the ‎Land Registration Office

A municipality refused to issue a document required for transfer of rights in land at the Land Registry on the grounds that there exists an old debt for municipal taxes and levies.

The Court held that the laches rules applies both to the individual and to the authorities. In order to examine the question of laches the Court will examine, inter alia, whether the authority made collection efforts over the years or abandoned the debt and avoided any enforcement efforts. In this case because it is a debt for which a payment demand was sent and since six years passed the municipality cannot deny the document required for the transfer of ownership of the land.