MORTGAGES I-III Flashcards
What is a mortgage
This is an agreement between 2 or more people where legal or equitable in property is conveyed by the mortgagor to the mortgagee to secure a loan and there is an undertaking to reconvey once the loan is paid up
Features of a mortgage
- There must be a reversionary interest. There must be a provision for cesser upon redemption.
- There must be a security given on the mortgage
- Transfer of interest (need not be land) to a lender of money
- In the event of failure to repay, the lender of the money has the right to sell the property to recover the money lost.
- There must be the existence of an obligation which creates the need to transfer interest to a mortgagee.
What are the conditions for validity of contract subject to mortgage?
- Must state the source of the loan
- Must state the terms of the loan and the terms of repayment of the loan
- Must state all material facts
Procedure/ Stages of a mortgage transaction
- Application for loan by proposed mortgagor
- Negotiation of the loan
- Investigation of the proposed mortgage property by the proposed mortgagee’s solicitor
- Property evaluation
- Preliminary documentation - contract, loan agreement
- Final documentation - Parties make a deed of mortgage (for legal mortgages)
- Parties execute this deed and then transfer of deeds
7 Perfection
i. Governor consent, stamping, registration
ii. If corporate body, register charge/ mortgage with CAC within 90 days
iii. If in Lagos register mortgage with Lagos State Mortgage Board
Modes of creating a legal mortgage within the MPL 2010 Lagos
- By demise
- By sub-demise of unexpired residue leaving the mortgage with residuary interest
- Charge by deed expressed to be by way of legal mortgage
- Charge by deed expressed to be by way of statutory mortgage
Modes of creating a legal mortgage Under the Property and Conveyancing Law jurisdiction– S. 109, 110 & 137 PCL
- By sub-demise of terms of years absolute less than at least one day of the term vested in then mortgagor
- Charge by deed expressed by way of legal mortgage
- By Statutory charge
Modes of creating a legal mortgage within the Conveyancing act jurisdiction
- By assignment of the unexpired residue subject to cesser upon redemption
- By sub- demise
- By statutory charge
Modes of creating equitable mortgage
- Deposit of title deeds accompanied
- Equitable Charge accompanied by an agreement to create a legal mortgage
- Assignment of an equitable interest
- An agreement to create a legal mortgage i.e. the rule in Walsh v Lonsdale.
- Mortgage created under the rule of nemo dat quod habet
- An imperfect legal mortgage
Features/ Advantages of creating legal mortgage by assignment
- There is the transfer of entire unexpired interest
- There is privity of contract between the mortgagee and the head-lessor
- There is no reversionary interest
- The mortgagee has a right to retain the unoriginal title documents
- The mortgagee is entitled to the beneficial covenants in the headlease
- The mortgagee is bound by the onerous covenants in the headlease
Features/ Advantages of creating legal mortgage by sub-demise
- There is the transfer of unexpired residue but not the entire interest
- There is a reversionary interest
- There is no privity of contract or estate between the mortgagee and the head-lessor
- The mortgagee not bound by the onerous covenants in the headlease nor is he entitled to the beneficial covenants
- Sub-demise is common to all jurisdictions
- There is uniformity – this mode applies to both CA and PCL states
- Mortgagor can create successive legal mortgages on the property: The revisionary interest is legal interest and he may in certain circumstances use this remaining interest to create successive legal mortgages.
Features/Advantages of creating legal mortgage by charge by deed
- There is no transfer of legal interest
- It is simpler to create
- It is easily discharged by a statutory receipt of payment unlike in sub-demise or assignment where you need a deed of release or re-conveyance. However, the receipt is not a registrable instrument thus the mortgage may continue to be reflected in the register
- Since does not create a legal interest will not be a breach of covenant if there exists a covenant against assignment/ subletting
- It is more convenient for business efficacy
- Can use one document to charge several properties in one transaction. It is convenient for creating mortgages over mixed properties unlike in sub-demise or assignment.
- The chargee has all the powers, rights & protection of a legal mortgagee
Documents required for the purpose of perfecting a legal mortgage/ Documents required to procure Governor’s consent/ Documents required to process a legal mortgage of land
- CTC of original title documents
- Duly executed mortgage deed
- Approved building plan
- Registered survey plan
- Application for payment of stamp duties and registration of documents
- Duly completed prescribed application for governors consent – (called FORM 1 C in Lagos state)
- 3 years tax clearance certificate of the mortgagor or surety if any
- CTC of valuation report
- Evidence of payment of ground rent
- Evidence of payment of tenement rate
- Mortgage deed
NOTE where the mortgagor is a company additional documents will be required:
- A CTC of the memorandum and articles of association of the company
- A copy of the resolution of the board of directors authorising the mortgage
- A copy of the certificate of incorporation of the company
- Tax clearance certificate of at least 2 directors
Differences in sub-demise under in CA and PCL & MPL
- Creation of a successive legal mortgage is possible in a mortgage by sub demise under PCL and MPL, but it is not possible under CA. So cannot create another mortgage over reversionary interest while one exists under the CA due to the doctrine of ‘interesse termini’ which states that all interests in a property is terminated until existing mortgage on it is discharged.
- The second difference deals with the reversionary interest of the mortgagor. PCL and MPL rectify this. S. 112(1) states that where the mortgagor fails to pay, the reversionary interest will leave the mortgagor and merge with the interest of the mortgagee allowing the mortgagee to sell the interest to recover the money.
Under CA there is no such provision so other methods have to be used by the parties such as including a power of attorney or trust declarations in the deed of mortgage in order to recover the loan money.
What is the purpose of the Covenant to pay mortgage sum and interest at fixed rate
- Provides express agreement as to when the loan should be repaid (legal due date)
- Determines mortgagee’s right of sale which arises at expiration of due date
- Determines when the mortgagor’s right of redemption will be extinguished by operation of the statute of limitation
- interest is fixed by the parties where no interest court will impose a reasonable rate.
Draft a covenant to pay mortgage sum and interest
The mortgagor hereby covenants with the mortgagee to repay the mortgage sum and interest at 5% per annum or at 3% if paid timeously, repayable on or before 20 January 2019
What is the purpose of the Covenant to insure
Determines who to insure. Usually the mortgagee.
Determines when insurance to commence, amount of policy, insurance company, risk to be insured against (only against fire under PCL), application of insurance money.
The covenant is basically to protect the security of the property
Who Covenants to repair?
The mortgagor usually covenants to repair but where the mortgagor neglects to the mortgagee has a right to repair but he may charge on what he spent on repairs of the property and this creates a charge on the property and the power of sale may become exercisable
The mortgagee would want to repair to protect the value of the property depreciating in event she need to sell.
What is the purpose of the covenant to consolidate?
This used where a mortgagor uses several properties to secure loans. Prevents the mortgagor from redeeming one property without the redeeming the others.
This is because mortgagee must not create any clog on the equity of redemption.
Elements/ Factors needed for consolidation to take place
- Must be same mortgagor in all the properties
- Must be same mortgagee in all the properties
- The date of redemption must have elapsed in all mortgages
- There must be an express agreement to consolidate