Acquiring the Freehold of a Leasehold House

October 13th, 2011 HIP-Consultant.co.uk Posted in Land Registry, Landlords, Legal Comments Off on Acquiring the Freehold of a Leasehold House

Most houses in England and Wales are freehold. This means that the owner has a right to remain on the land and in the house in perpetuity (forever) or until he sells or transfers it, at which point the new owner takes over the right. Although technically the land (and therefore the house) actually belongs to the Crown, for all practical purposes it is owned by the home owner. There are some houses however that rather than being freehold are let on long leases. These are known as leasehold houses.

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High Street Solicitor or Specialist Conveyancer?

October 5th, 2011 HIP-Consultant.co.uk Posted in Land Registry, Property Conveyancing 2 Comments »

When you are looking for a lawyer to carry out your conveyancing you basically have two options. You can either choose a traditional high street solicitor’s firm or a specialist conveyancing company. There are advantages and disadvantages to both and which you choose should depend on a number of factors such as cost, your personal circumstances and perhaps how quickly you need the transaction to proceed.

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What You Need to Know About Conveyancing Contracts

September 27th, 2011 HIP-Consultant.co.uk Posted in Land Registry, Legal, Property Conveyancing 2 Comments »

The conveyancing contract (sometimes referred to as the agreement) is a document which contains all of the terms and conditions to which a conveyancing transaction is subject. Once contracts are exchanged those terms become legally binding on all parties.

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Commonhold Property Ownership Explained

August 11th, 2011 HIP-Consultant.co.uk Posted in Land Registry, Property Conveyancing, Property Market 1 Comment »

Commonhold is a new type of property ownership. It was created by the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 (CLRA 2002) as a possible alternative to leasehold title. The CLRA 2002, together with the Commonhold Regulations 2004, came into force on 27 September 2004.

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What is the meaning of Flying Freehold?

August 3rd, 2011 HIP-Consultant.co.uk Posted in Land Registry, Property Conveyancing Comments Off on What is the meaning of Flying Freehold?

Some of the terminology used in conveyancing can be confusing and difficult to interpret. Conveyancers sometimes get so used to the legal jargon that they will use it when speaking to clients, forgetting that they cannot be expected to understand.
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What Can I Do About My Neighbour’s Nuisance Tree?

June 29th, 2011 HIP-Consultant.co.uk Posted in Land Registry, Legal, Local Authority Searches 2 Comments »

Trees can be wonderful though they can also be a terrible nuisance in gardens, particularly small gardens and particularly if they are allowed to grow too large. If your enjoyment of your property is adversely affected by a tree belonging to a neighbour, is there anything you can do?
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Boundary Disputes – What you need to know

June 13th, 2011 HIP-Consultant.co.uk Posted in Land Registry, Legal, Property Conveyancing 1 Comment »

Boundaries are one of the major causes of disputes between neighbours. Whether one neighbour is encroaching on another, there is an argument that the boundary line is in the wrong position or shared boundary is not properly maintained, issues that might start out as trivial can quickly escalate.

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Leasehold Property Basics – what you must know

May 17th, 2011 HIP-Consultant.co.uk Posted in Land Registry, Property Market, Top Tips 3 Comments »

All land in England and Wales has a freehold title (including land that is not yet registered with the Land Registry). All land belongs to the Crown but the owner of the freehold has an exclusive right, in perpetuity, to use and occupy the land or receive rents from it and so for all practical purposes the owner of the freehold title is the absolute owner of the land.

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How Do I Know If a Covenant Can Be Enforced?

March 28th, 2011 HIP-Consultant.co.uk Posted in Land Registry, Property Conveyancing Comments Off on How Do I Know If a Covenant Can Be Enforced?

Covenants are rules which dictate how landowners can use their land. Unlike statutory rules such as those set out in acts like the Town and Country Planning Act or Building Act they are imposed by the original owner of the land, often by a developer when he sells plots on an estate or by a landowner who owns a large estate and sells parts off. As a result covenants are individual to each property.

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Conveyancing Checklist For Property Purchase

January 13th, 2011 HIP-Consultant.co.uk Posted in Land Registry, Property Conveyancing, Property Market 9 Comments »

When you are using a conveyancer for the purchase of a property you may be forgiven for thinking that you are able to leave the whole thing in his or her hands; to a certain extent you are right, but you should remember that ultimately it is your purchase and there are certain things for which you must still take responsibility. This is more important these days since it is likely your conveyancer will never actually see the property and may not be from the area.

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Investing in Freehold Reversions

December 8th, 2010 HIP-Consultant.co.uk Posted in Land Registry, Landlords, Property Market Comments Off on Investing in Freehold Reversions

All land in England and Wales, whether or not it is registered, has a freehold title. In addition the freehold of a particular property may be subject to a leasehold title. If this is the case then it is the leasehold title that has by far and away the greatest value since it is the owner of this title that has the right to occupy the property for the term of the lease, however the freehold does still have value.

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