Conveyancing Transactions Flashcards
What are the stages in a conveyancing transaction?
6 Stages.
- Pre-market (Seller obtains EPC / Mostly Estate Agent Role)
- Pre-exchange (Take instructions, draft contract, deduce title, investigate title, searches, enquiries, valuation, mortgage)
- Exchange (Exchange contracts, pay deposit, contract becomes binding, beneficial ownership and risk passes to the buyer, recommend insurance)
- Pre-completion (Pre-completion requisition and searches, Sign transfer deed, Redemption statement, undertake to discharge, certificate of title)
- Completion (Completion date, completion method, transfer funds, date transfer deed and mortgage deed, possession/keys)
- Post-completion (Discharge mortgage, pay net proceeds, pay SDLT, Registration)
Agreeing to use the Law Conveyancing Protocol automatically implies the use of the latest…
- Standard Contract of Sale
- Law Society Property Forms
- Law Society Formulae for Exchange
- Law Society Code for Completion by Post
What are advantages of using the Law Conveyancing Protocol?
Speed
Transparency
Efficiency
What is a disadvantage of using the Law Conveyancing Protocol?
Obligation to keep the other side informed about the situation of any related sale.
Why are pre-exchanges enquiries needed?
Because the risk passes to the buyer on exchange (caveat emptor)
What are key exceptions to the principle of Caveat Emptor?
- The seller’s implied duty to disclose latent defects in the title
- The seller’s contractual obligations to disclose
- The contract provides otherwise
- The buyer has been induced to enter the contract by fraud
What is a TA6 form?
A document that raises standard questions, providing various details about the property. Known as a Property Information Form.
What is a TA10 form?
Fitting and contents form.
The Pre-Exchange, what is the role of each solicitor?
Buyer’s solicitor: investigates the property and raises inquiries
Seller’s solicitor: deduces title and replies to inquiries
How do you deduce title for registered land?
The seller should produce the official copy of the title register. Register of title and title plan are officially registered documents providing proof of ownership.
How do you deduce title for unregistered land?
Seller should produce an epitome of title showing a good root of 15 years followed by an unbroken chain of ownership to the present.
What is the impact of a broken chain or short root for an unregistered title?
A buyer who accepts this position risks being bound by unknown burdens and may not have first registration at the Land Registry with title absolute and a mortgage is likely to be refused.
What are the key mandatory pre-exchange searches?
For registered land: application for Official Copies
For unregistered Land: Index map search and Land Charges search on the name of the seller
For all transactions:
- Energy Performance Certificate
- Local Land Charges Search (planning permissions, listed buildings, planning agreements)
- Local Authority Search (shows planning and building regulations consent, public rights of way etc.)
- Drainage and Water Search
What are examples of specific searches that are conducted pre-exchange depending on the nature of the transaction?
- Bankruptcy Search: if acting for lender must be carried out on buyer and guarantors
- Environmental search
- Companies House search: if seller is a company
- Coal Mining Search
- Chancel Repair Search: where property is near an old church
- Noise map
What are the 3 different types of property surveys?
Level 1: cheapest for modern properties in good condition
Level 2: most common mid-level for properties that are in a reasonable condition
Level 3: most expensive and thorough for buildings that are more than 50 years old
What should you do after you receive the results of the pre-exchange searches and inquiries?
- Consider whether any issues raised in the investigation need to be clarified
- Report on the title and search results
- Check whether the search results are satisfactory before exchanging contracts having regard to the Client’s instructions and requirements.
What are the two ways co-owners can hold property?
Joint-tenants and tenants in common
What does ownership as joint tenants mean?
- All joint tenants collectively own the property; they all have equal rights
- On death of a co-owner property automatically passes to the other (survivorship)
- Either party can sever the joint tenancy without further actions
What does ownership as tenants in common mean?
- Each tenant owns a specified share of the property. Shares are fixed at the outset or vary according to financial contributions.
- At the death of one owner, the property does not automatically pass to the co-owner. It will pass under the deceased will or intestacy.
What is a declaration of trust?
If the client wishes to hold the property as tenant in common it is always advisable for co-owners to enter into a declaration of trust. It formally records that the co-owners hold the property as tenants in common and sets out the respective shares in the property.
How do you know if there is a declaration of trust from the Official Copies?
Look for a Form A Restriction in Section B “Proprietorship Register” that states “No disposition by a sole proprietor of the registered estate (Except a trust corporation) under which capital money arises is to be registered unless authorized by order of the court.
What does overreaching mean?
Equitable rights in land are transferred to the purchase money that has been paid as long as the buyer pays the purchase price to two trustees or a trust corporation. Where the beneficial interest is overreached, the buyer will acquire good title.
If there is more than one surviving tenant in common do you need to appoint a second trustee to overreach?
No, there are sufficient survivors to overreach.
What documents should you verify when there is overreaching?
The deed of appointment of a second trustee
How to confirm that a PR has the capacity to transfer property?
Check the grant of representation
What are considerations to note when buying from a PR?
They may only be able to give a limited title guarantee, and may not be able to provide full replies to enquiries.
What does section 101 of the LPA 1925 provide?
A statutory power of sale for a mortgagee
What should a prudent buyer check when buying from a Mortgagee?
- Whether the power of sale exists
- Whether the power has arisen
- Whether it is exercisable
- Whether the seller is the first ranking mortgage
Describe the seller’s duty to disclose latent defects?
The seller has an implied duty to disclose any latent defects in the title (i.e., ones which the buyer could not have discovered by any reasonable inspection of the property). The duty only requires the seller to disclose matters about which the seller knows, or the seller has the means to know if acting reasonably and diligently.
Can the seller’s duty to disclose latent defects be excluded by contract?
No.
Can the seller’s duty to disclose latent defects be excluded by contract?
No.
When is planning permission required?
When the works fit within the statutory definition of development. Some works are deemed to have automatic approval.
What is the enforcement time limit for unauthorized operations (building, engineering, mining)?
4 years
What is the enforcement time limit for an unauthorized change to a single dwelling house?
4 years
What is the enforcement time limit for other breaches of planning controls (e.g., change of use)?
10 years
What is the enforcement time limit for a listed building regime?
No limit
What are the relevant enforcement time limits for breaches of the building regulations?
Enforcement notice to be served within 12 months / Injunction at any time
When a buyer advises you that they intend to make an alteration to the property, what are things you should consider?
Whether planning permissions and building regulations consent are required
Highlight the risk that where they are not obtained, clients may be prevented from carrying out their plans.
How to mitigate the risk of planning permission being rejected, before committing to purchase?
- Consider making an outline planning permission application
- Consider making the offer conditional on getting a planning permission
- If the client intends to alter the property structurally, advise a Level 3 Survey
Why should you check for any past development or changes carried out by the past owners?
The authority can take enforcement action against the owner of a property (Even if that person did not undertake the work). This may require costly rectifying works. Consider time limits and whether the breach has become immune from action.
What are options for risk mitigation where there has been a lack of permission or consent?
- Remedying the breach (special condition to be placed in the contract) - to be obtained before completion at the seller’s own cost
- Retrospective planning permission or Building Regulations Regularization Certificate
- Insurance (ideally at the seller’s expense)
- Contractual indemnity, seller indemnifies the buyer against potential risks
- Negotiation of a reduction on the sale price.
What are overriding interests?
Overriding interests have a historical record as statutorily binding notwithstanding their absence from the register of title (Land Registration Act 1925, s.70(1)). These types of rights would not require registration to become apparent, because they ought to be apparent to any taking the registered title of land upon a physical inspection of the land (and/or inquiring with persons residing on the land) or by reference to other evidential aids, such as the registers of local land charges maintained by local authority bodies
What are the exceptions to a person in actual occupation’s overriding interest?
- When asked the person with the interest fails to disclose it
- The occupation is not obvious on a reasonably careful inspection at the time of disposition
What should you do when you expect a person to be in actual occupation of the property?
- Advise your client to physically inspect the property immediately before contracts are exchanged.
- Raise pre-contract enquiries about who is in occupation
What are the risks to the buyer when there is an occupier in actual occupation?
Buyer may be bound by the occupier’s interest if the buyer knows of the occupier or it was obvious on a reasonably careful inspection at the time of disposition.
What are options to consider to mitigate any risks associated with occupiers?
- Occupier to join the contract
- Release (separate document from the occupier to formally release any rights and confirm that he will vacate on completion).
- Overreaching
What are points to consider when there is a spouse that may have a right in the matrimonial home?
May have a right not to be excluded from the matrimonial home. Not an overriding interest, but constitutes a charge if registered. Consider seeking a written release by the Spouse or potentially contractually agree with the seller that it must be removed before completion.
What should you advise if your client is buying an old property?
Level 3 Survey and check if the property is listed
What to do if there is a known or suspected contaminant?
Usually identified if the property was in a location where industry is known to have existed. Identify through Environmental Searches and thorough due diligence. Consider mitigating through (1) environmental insurance; (2) covenants by the seller; (3) price; (4) indemnities.
What to do if there is an adverse entry on the register restricting selling?
Ensure that the restriction entry is removed.
Why is the distinction between restrictive and positive covenant important?
The burden of positive covenants does not generally bind future owners.
What is a restrictive covenant?
Prohibit or limit the ability to do something. It restricts the use and enjoyment of the burdened land. Likely to run with the sale of the land.
What is a positive covenant
Obligation to do something (e.g., to spend money).
What are the requirements for a restrictive covenant to be enforceable against future owners?
- Negative in nature
- Registered
- Touches and concerns the land
- Intended to run with the land
- No common ownership since it was imposed
What are points to consider when a land is burdened through a restrictive covenant?
- Check whether any covenants will prohibit the buyer from using the land for its intended purpose
- Consider restrictive covenant indemnity insurance
- Negotiate a release or variation
When are positive covenants enforceable?
- Compulsory renewed covenants protected by a restriction (Restriction on the burdened land title to state that no disposition should be registered without a certificate signed by a solicitor confirming that the requirement to provide a new deed of the covenant has been met).
- Chains of contractual indemnity: unbroken given by each buyer to the previous owner.
- Mutual benefit and burden principle: the person cannot continue to take the benefit of a deed without subscribing to the obligations under it.
- Restrictive covenant with a positive condition that couldn’t be split
- Use leasehold title: the burden of covenants contained in a lease will generally run before granting a lease out of the FH title.
What are the requirements for a valid easement?
- There must be a dominant and servient land
- Owners must be different persons
- Must accommodate the dominant land (not a personal right)
- Capable of forming the subject matter of a grant (not to wide or vague)
- Must not amount to exclusive possession
What is the rule in Wheeldon v Burrows?
In the context of a protracted and unnecessary neighbour dispute, the High Court has usefully analysed the impact of section 62 of the Law of Property Act 1925 and the rule in Wheeldon v Burrows.
Continuous and apparent easements exercised prior to the sale of a property in parts can give rise to legal easements unless care is taken expressly to avoid their occurrence.
What makes an easement a legal easement?
- Express legal easements made by deed (must be registered)
- Prescription over 20 years of continuous use
- Implied on a sale (section 62 of the LPA or Wheeldon v Burrows)
- Implied by true necessity (land is landlocked)