Purchase and Sale (L3O) Flashcards
What are the different interests that can be bought/sold?
- Freehold: own outright, including land it’s built on
- Long leasehold: have lease from the freeholder to use the property for a set number of years
- Lease (assigned): selling lease to a 3rd party
What do you need to do prior to accepting an instruction?
- Conflict of Interest check
- Check whether competent
- Check no personal conflict of interest
- Receive signed terms of engagement & Complaints handling procedure
What client information is required prior to accepting an instruction?
- Property information (what, where etc.)
- Conflict of Interest & AML checks
- Clients’ objectives
- Issue and agree Terms of Engagement
What are the key aspects for issuing Terms of Engagement?
- Check the client is entitled to instruct
- Send 2 sets (one for their records)
- Sign & date before sending to client
- Any changes to Terms of Engagement must be agreed in writing
- Ensure the client has an opportunity to negotiate terms
What must be included within Terms of Engagement?
- Agency basis (sole/joint)
- Agency rights (sole selling or ready, willing and able purchaser)
- Proposed fee
- Timescale for payment of fees/disbursements
- Marketing costs/disbursements
- AML requirements
- Confirmation of no conflict of interest
- Details of firms’ complaints handling procedure
What are standards purchase/sale fees?
- Percentage of price (0.5% - 2%) (plus marketing costs plus VAT) - depends on size and value of asset and likely amount of time and effort required.
- Often includes minimum fees & abortive fees
- Could also be a fixed or hourly fee (more valuation)
- Can be negotiated, but make sure not de-valuing profession - should be set at a level you fee appropriate to the level of work required.
What is a cooling off period?
- In accordance with current consumer protection regulation - 14 days
- If a client changes their mind and does not want to instruct an agent they can withdraw from the agreement
What are the Red Book requirements for Agency?
- Set out in Red Book
- Red Book is not required for agency or brokerage work
- Red Book is required for purchase reports for acquisitions that include a valuation.
What must be done prior to marketing a property?
- Prepare marketing report with full recommendations
- Obtain written approval of marketing particulars (CPRs, misrepresentations)
- Market property as agreed
What is done after marketing commences?
- Conduct viewings/deal with enquiries
- Receive bids/negotiate with bidders
- Draft HoTs –> instruct solicitors
- Assist with queries & CPSEs –> issue invoice and retain file
What are some different purchase vehicles?
- Special Purchase Vehicle (SPV) - company formed to buy a property with reduced SDLT
- Joint Venture - two or more investors combine resources for property development/investment
- Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) - company tax resident in UK listed on stock exchange, at least 75% of its business is in property investment
- Offshore Unit Trusts (eg JPUT)
What happens if a purchaser fails to complete a transaction?
- Vendor serves a Notice to Complete
- Purchaser given deadline to complete (often 10 days)
- If party cannot complete then landowner can rescind property and re-market… deposit is kept and costs can be claimed
- The vendor may be able to sue for damages to claim for any loss in value (and associated costs) following the sale of the property to another party at a lower sale price.
What are some typical marketing costs?
- EG
- Data Room
- Photography
- Planning briefing paper
- Promap plans
What is the difference between sole selling rights and sole agency rights?
Sole selling rights:
- Fee paid regardless of who finds purchaser, including client.
- Can still get fee after expiry of appointment period if introduced purchaser during period of sole selling rights contract
Sole agency:
- Fee is ONLY paid if the agent finds the purchaser during the term of instruction agreement
What is the difference between joint agency, joint sole agency and multiple agency rights?
JOINT AGENCY:
- Two or more agents share fee
JOINT SOLE AGENCY:
- Two or more agents share fee with pre-agreed ratio
MULTIPLE AGENCY RIGHTS:
- Several agents instructed to sell
- Only successful agent gets fee
What are abortive fee clauses?
Must include:
- a ready, willing and able purchaser (If client withdraws with ready purchaser – agent can charge fee)
- Client withdraws site from market - used if suspect client only wanted to test the market.
What are the applications of the Estate Agents Act 1979?
- Freehold or leasehold with capital value
- During purchase and sale of interests in land or buildings
- Policed by Trading Standards Office - prohibition (stop agent practicing)/warning order (written order telling agent not to do it again and/or fine)
What are the principles of the Estate Agents Act 1979?
- Honesty and accuracy
- Clarity on terms of agency - s18 - specify all costs
- Openness for personal interests - s21
- Absence of discrimination
- Tell clients all offers
- Agreement for liability and costs
- Keep clients’ money separate
What are the core principles for agents in the RICS UK Commercial Real Estate Agents Professional Statement, 1st edition 2016? (don’t have to know all)
- Act in an honest, fair and transparent manner
- Carry out work with skill and diligence
- Ensure clear and fair ToBs with CHP
- Avoid conflicts, deal with any honestly, openly and fairly
- Do not discriminate
- Communication to be fair, clear, timely and transparent
- Advertising and marketing material to be honest and truthful
- Clients’ money to be held separately and insured
- Hold appropriate PII
- Clearly identify client and obligations
- Give realistic assessments of values, costs etc
- Ensure all meetings, viewings and inspections are in accordance with clients’ wishes
What are the Consumer protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008?
- An agent owes a duty to consumers
- Must provide accurate material
- Must not make misdescriptions
- It can relate to all lettings, sales and online agency.
Covers:
- Lying
- Omitting
- Exerting undue pressure
- Misleading
- Hiding
- Failure to show DD
What are CPR penalties?
- Unlimited fine
- Prohibition order
- Prison up to 2 years
- Policed by Local Authority’s Trading Standards Office
What is the Business Protection from Misleading Marketing Regulations 2008?
- Business to business
- Mirrors CPRs
- Prohibits misleading advertising and restricts business comparison of products
What are the punishments of Misleading Marketing Regulations 2008?
- Unlimited fine
- Prohibition order
What is the Misrepresentations Act?
The Misrepresentations Act 1967:
- Relates to misrepresentations/false statement of fact to induce party to purchase
- Vendor and/or agent can be sued for damages and/or the contract rescinded
- Agents have a duty of care to clients and third parties to check the reliability of information
- Caveat Emptor: ‘buyer beware’ - places onus on the buyer to perform DD before making a purchase.
3 tests to decide agent’s liability:
- Foreseeability (damage is reasonably foreseeable)
- Proximity (relationship can be characterised in law as being sufficiently proximate)
- Fairness (fair, just and reasonable for such a duty of care to arise)
What is within the BNP Disclaimer/Important Notice?
We include this within sales particulars.
- Marketing particulars not an offer or contract
- Don’t rely on statements as fact in these particulars
- Purchasers must satisfy themselves by inspection or other
- The vendors and BNP do not have the authority to give representations or warranties
Outline the RICS Global Professional and Standards and Guidance - Conflicts of Interest 2017
- Members must gain informed consent in writing
- Conflicts:
a. party (working on same instruction for 2 different parties)
b. own interest (personal interests)
c. confidential information (work between 2 parties that is confidential)
Informed consent can only be sought if member/firm is happy to proceed. Cannot advise/represent client unless informed consent is obtained.
What does the RICS Professional Statement Conflicts of Interest UK Commercial Property Investment Agency 2017 relate to?
- Specific risks identified with investment agency.
- Deals with:
a. Dual Agency - cannot act for buyer and seller
b. Multiple introductions:
Obtain written consent
Information barriers
Inform seller on appointment
c. Incremental advice:
Obtain written consent
Information barriers
d. Personal/Own interest:
Transparent
Objective
Section 21 - Estate Agents Act
What are the main methods of sale?
- Private Treaty:
- Openly market with no set timescales
- Negotiate confidentially, agree HoTs, instruct solicitors - Informal Tender:
- Set deadline
- Can accept any offer
- Not legally binding
- Can be used during private treaty negotiations to obtain best offer
- Further negotiation/deadlines can follow - Formal Tender:
- Retains control and is transparent
- Supply contract and exchange when accepting offer
- Highest bid is accepted (unless vendor reserves right to refuse any or all offers)
- No opportunity for further bid - Auction:
- Unusual property, poor quality, distressed sale, last resort
- Exchange on fall of gave, with 10% deposit
What are the benefits and limitations of private treaty?
Pros:
- The parties control the process
- Flexible
- Vendor not under any obligation to sell
- Confidential
Cons:
- Potential for gazumping or more likely gazundering
- Late decisions not to buy
- Associated abortive costs
What are the benefits and limitations of informal tender?
Pros:
- Competitive bidding
- Set timescales
- Conditional proposals
Cons:
- Chipping
- Won’t directly lead to a contract for sale
- Can receive later bids at any point
What are the benefits and limitations of formal tender?
Pros:
- Transparent
- Fast legal process
Cons:
- Expensive
- Limits market
- Limits flexibility
- Can’t listen to late offers
- No opportunity for further bids
What are the benefits and limitations of auction?
Pros:
- Quick process
- Certainty of sale (assuming reaches reserve)
- Useful for unusual property which is hard to accurately value
- Competitive open bidding
Cons:
- Lack of confidentiality over price received
- Vendor cannot select purchaser
- Very much dependant on who is in the room
- Intensive nature of short marketing period
- Only unconditional offers
- May not reach reserve
What should be included within bidding guidelines?
- Price
- Conditions (STC)
- Solicitor
- Timelines
- Purchaser
- Financial arrangements
What would you do if you received a late bid?
- Report to client (Estate Agents Act 1979)
- Client can still accept
- Advise that it doesn’t bode well it was late but they can still be taken into consideration
What % is a deposit?
- Typically 10%, but can be negotiated (depending on method of sale)
What are commercial property standard enquiries (CPSEs)?
Industry standard pre-contract enquiries used in commercial property transactions. Introduced in 2002 with the aim of speeding up commercial property transactions for lawyers and clients
- General pre-contract enquiries for all
- Supplementary of tenancies
- New lease
- Assignment
- Surrender of rack rented leases
- Supplementary residential tenancies
- General short from pre-contract enquiries for all
What happens if a purchaser pulls out after exchange?
- Keep deposit
- Seek legal advice
- Sue for damages and costs incurred if resulting sale is at lower price
- Service notice to complete
What is a Transfer of Going Concern (TOGC)?
- If buying a business with intention to keep the same use as before. VAT not payable on the assets (purchase not treated as a supply of goods and services for VAT purposes)
Talk me through opting to tax
- Specialist advice always recommended for VAT
- A landowner may choose to elect a property to charge VAT, to recover VAT on costs expended.
- Some occupiers cannot register for VAT eg financial institutions, charities and medical
- Add 20% onto gross price
What is the purpose of heads of terms?
- Provide an executive summary
- Not legally binding
- Provide framework for contract
What should be included in HoTs?
- Vendor
- Vendor’s agent
- Vendor’s solcitor
- Purchaser
- Purchaser’s solicitor
- Land address and title number
- Purchase price
- Exchange - target timeline
- Deposit
- Completion (target)
- Legal costs - each party responsible for their own
- VAT
- Vacant Possession
- Restrictions (subject to…)
- Sale Plan
What is the difference between a wayleave and easement?
Wayleave = granted to person who owns land, terminable Easement = relates to land itself, permanent.