5. Completion Flashcards
What form must a valid transfer of a legal estate take? Formalities?
Must be a DEED
1.make it clear that it is a deed
2. be signed by the parties
3. be delivered
4. IF DEED IS EXECUTED BY A PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL, signature must be witnessed by an independent witness to counter potential allegation of undue influence
How can a company execute a deed?
- Using company seal in accordance with the articles of association
- Having it signed by a director and secretary, or by two directors of the company, provided that the deed is expressed to be executed by the company
- having it signed by a single director in the presence of a witness who them attests that signature
Who executes the deed?
- The seller (always)
- the buyer if they are entering into an obligation or making a declaration in the TR1 like an indemnity covenant or declaring a beneficial interest under a trust
Transfer Deed: Registered Freehold Land
Form TR1
- or TP1( transfer deed for transfers of part)
When should form TR1 be dated?
Only on completion
Form TR1: What does the buyer put for their ‘address’
Should put new address (and can include an email) so that correspondence will go to the new house
In Panel 8 of TR1: how should purchase price be communicated?
In figures as well as words (?VAT)
Land Registry Search: After Completion for Registered Land
Form OS1 for whole property or OS2 for sale of part (with title plan attached)
- will confer priority period on applicant form date of results sent
- buyer must submit application for registration by NOON on last day of priority period to take advantage
How long is the priority period with Form OS1R and OS2R
30 working days from the date of the search result
Pre-Completion Searches: Unregistered Land
Land charges search on Form K15 (results on form K18)
- Priority period
How long is the priority period conferred by form K18
15 working days
Steps for the buyer’s solicitor (pre-completion)
- Arrange for TR1 to be executed
- Pay balance of purchase price to seller’s solicitor
- Agree date of TR1
- Date mortgage deed
- Pay stamp duty land tax
- Register transfer of title at Land Registry
- Check Title Information Document when received back from Land Registry
- Deal with safe custody of Title Information Document and other papers
- Close file
Methods of a company executing a deed
- Using company seal in accordance with the articles of association
- Having it signed by a director and secretary, or by two directors of the company, provided that the deed is expressed to be executed by the company
- having it signed by a single director in the presence of a witness who them attests that signature
Who executes the deed transferring the legal estate in land?
- ‘The seller’: always
- ‘The buyer’: if they are entering into an obligatoin or making a declaration in the TR1 like an indemnity covenant or declaring a beneficial interest under a trust
What does it mean to say that a deed must be ‘delivered’
- Normally, execution = evidence of delivery but this presumption can be rebutted by a contrary intention
- If client does not want transfer to have immediate effect, should say so expressly on the covering letter to the deed
Transfer deed form for unregistered land
This will make unregistered land subject to first registration - can transfer using Land Registry transfer form or a conveyance
Who is the transfer deed normally completed by?
The buyer’s solicitor (and sent to seller’s solicitor after the exchange of contracts)
- But if very straightforward the seller’s solicitor may prepare it and include it in the pre-exchange package
Purpose of pre-completion searches
- To make sure that the seller has not further encumbered the title since investigation of title took place
- To check the financial circumstances of the borrower when acting for the lender
- To gain priority for the buyer, and the lender, over anyone else making an application
before the buyer applies to register the change of ownership at the Land Registry - If the seller is a company, to check that the company has not gone into liquidation before
the balance of the purchase price is paid over on completion.
Who normally carries out pre-completion searches
The buyer’s solicitor
Pre-Completion search of the Title: registered land
- If the title is registered, then a Land Registry search should be made against the title number to see if any new entries have been made since the ‘search from’ date, that is, the date on which the official copies were produced
- Form OS1 (Official Search 1) for whole property sale or OS2 for part sale (OS2 usually needs a plan to be sent in with the request)
If acting for a buyer who is buying with the aid of the mortgage, who should form OS1R or OS2R be completed on behalf of
Both the buyer and the lender
Priority period for OS1R or OS2R
30 working days from the search result
What is a priority period and how does it apply?
PP = protection to the applicant against subsequent entries which may be placed on the register after this search but before the buyer is registered as proprietor, buyer takes free from such entries, provided that they submit their application for registration by 12 noon on the last day of the priority period
Pre-Completion searches of the title: Unregistered land
Form K15
- Results on form K18, confers PP of 15 working days from the date of the result (during which time the searcher will take the property free of any entries made on the register between the date of the search and the date of completion, provided that completion takes place during the 15 day working period