Anyone else bought land from countrywide land holdings

screwed

so this was just some amde up bull !!!! by countrywide then,

GDB2222

screwed wrote: »

and as for wanting sympathy ive never asked once for it just how I can if at all sort this mess

You need to ask yourself what your net worth is right now, ie how much do you own and how much do you owe? For this purpose, take the land bank land as worth nothing. (It may not be completely worthless, but it's almost certainly only worth a very small amount.)

If your net worth is deeply in the red, ask yourself the next question: How badly would your employment suffer if you went bankrupt? Where would you live, etc?

If the answer to these questions is not too bad, you should seriously consider bankruptcy, I'm afraid. Or maybe an agreement with your creditors to reduce the debt. You can get advice on this from a charity - I've forgotten the name, but somebody will supply that in a second I guess.

There's also the debt free wannabe board here.

The alternative to all this is to see whether you are due any compensation - maybe from the licensed conveyancers. I suspect, though, that they were acting for the land bank and made sure they were not advising you.

GDB2222

screwed wrote: »

so this was just some amde up bull !!!! by countrywide then,

I think they latched onto a news item to fob you off. Unless the land actually had planning permission, it's unlikely that anyone would have been interested in buying it from you in the first place.

I obviously can't say for sure because I don't know exactly what they said to you.

yorksrabbit

pete1717 wrote: »

Re Cain Associates of Bexleyheath.

This outfit's website is bedecked with the self-description: Property Lawyers.

Before frightening people who are on here seeking help and assistance I would suggest the above poster takes the time to carry out some research so that the facts he puts forward are actually correct

Cain Associates are Property Lawyers and registered with the Council for Licensed Conveyancers. Anyone registered with the CLC are fully regulated and professional property lawyers. THEY DO NOT HOLD THEMSELVES OUT TO BE SOLICITORS BUT ARE PROPERTY LAWYERS WHO SPECIALISE IN CONVEYANCING.

So, to the original poster, you have dealt with a legitimate and very highly regulated conveyancing company and I would call them first thing tomorrow to discuss your concerns with them.

I don't normally respond to semantic tarradiddle but an exception is due in this instance because vulnerable people like screwed can as a consequence of injudicious use of language be misled into thinking they have dealt with lawyers / solicitors when they have not.

Fact is, there are lawyers governed by The Law Society (there's a clue!) and property conveyancers governed by their own body.

Legal issues arising from property-related matters are many and various. And complex. And with the potential to involve many many £000s in damages.

So when your insurance refuses to pay out after the visiting window cleaner fell off his ladder and blames you for the instability of the ground on which his ladder was positioned, a lawyer who specialises in this kind of dispute is the one to go for.

Not a, er, Licensed Conveyancer.

When the people who've newly moved in next door decide to widen their drive and shift the dividing fence into the curtilage you actually always thought was yours, a lawyer who specialises in this kind of dispute is the one to go for.

Not a, er, Licensed Conveyancer.

When the tree growing in next door's garden topples over with old age and kills someone unfortunate enough to be standing at the bottom of your garden, a lawyer who specialises in this kind of property-related issue is the one to go for.

Not a, er, Licensed Conveyancer.

When for whatever reason the Local Authority decides to buy up the neighbouring property to yours as a halfway-house for allegedly reformed delinquents and thus, in your belief, halves the value of your home overnight, a lawyer who specialises in this kind of property-related issue is the one to go for.

Not a, er, Licensed Conveyancer.

When you have been persuaded by some means and on some evidentiary basis to invest heavily in a property-related scheme which later appears to have been nothing like the investment you thought / you were promised it would be, then a lawyer who specialises in this kind of property-related issue is the one to go for.

Not a, er, Licensed Conveyancer.

The English language is actually quite precise of meaning. And that precision exists to benefit all those who, in your words, "come on here seeking help and assistance."

yorksrabbit

Screwed: please go and see a lawyer now -- a solicitor, that is, not a Licensed Conveyancer. . .

I wish there was something specific / constructive that could be added here but with £48,000 of your money already in play, and the company concerned apparently seeking to get you to commit to even more -- a strategy which, by virtue of being so recent, a lawyer will certainly find of interest -- then meaningful help really is beyond this forum.

Best wishes.

pete1717

screwed wrote: »

good advice dearly noted a case of too little too late for me but i'll see if I can do anything about it

The above poster, although trying be helpful has highlighted those situations where a little knowledge can be dangerous.

As I said earlier, the firm you dealt with are qualified Property Lawyers and are regulated by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers under the Administration of Justice Act 1985 despite what this ill informed poster has told you. (The Council for Licensed Conveyancers' website is easy to find to check whether a firm is regulated by them or not)

You have been incorrectly informed that Licensed Conveyancers do not carry insurance. This is incorrect and you are as safe in the hands of a regulated Licensed Conveyancer as with a solicitor.

Before worrying yourself silly (and running up further costs which the other poster is advising ) you should contact the lawyer who acted on your behalf and discuss the matter with him/her. If you feel that you had not been properly advised during the transaction then ask to speak to the Complaints Manager at that firm.

If you are not satisifed with their response and are of the opinion that you have a case against them then you should contact The Council for Licensed Conveyancers

I hope this helps.

yorksrabbit

OP:

http://wck2.companieshouse.gov.uk/3017b8fd74a1692115ed71803efbda6d/wcprodorder?ft=1

you'll see it's possible, for a very small outlay, to download documents direct from Companies House which may assist you / your solicitor (lawyer) in regard to Countrywide Land Holdings.

The public "free-to-see" record is, by contrast, minimal:

Last Accounts Made Up To: (NO ACCOUNTS FILED)
Next Accounts Due: 28/11/2006 OVERDUE

Though intriguing, nevertheless.

Colin_Groves_2

Have been trying to contact countrywide over the past few day, voicemail box is full.

Cain Assosiates (dealt with the land admin) stopped dealing with them in August.

Company house propose to strike them off.

Anyone have any other news on them

A fool............ thats me

maninthestreet

Their website is still active - but doesn't seem to do much other than list a telephone number and email address.
But, as others have already stated, you need to speak to a solicitor, not Countrywide Land Holdings

Running_Horse

As you own these individual plots of land they must have some value. Is there any way of contacting other owners via the Internet? If you had several adjoining plots near roads then there could be some scope for renting out for grazing livestock, or even selling together. It is your land after all.

The other thing that springs to mind is these scammers are still advertising on Rightmove today. Perhaps the threat of bad publicity to a legitimate property website advertising potentially illegal scams might persuade Rightmove to refuse to host such listings.