Strange Leasehold/Freehold arrangement

Land_Registry

As you unravel things it is quite possible that Pat's and Deirdre's situation are identical re the Freehold/Leaseholds with Deirdre's lease being unregistered as they bought before it became compulsory in the 80s

Have you checked the head Leasehold title for mention if the registered/noted leases? Are both leases then referred to but Deirdre's is merely noted, namely with no title number listed against it?

And as already posted what authority has Pat got to handle the sale and crucially to sign any legal documents?

It reads to me as if Deirdre has a fair bit of work to do to put the pieces in place for your conveyancer to press ahead. Hopefully your conveyancer will get the right details asap so you can proceed

Okrib

What has the agent been doing in all this?

Before taking on an instruction they need to complete KYC compliance. This means verifying who owns the property, checking Land Reg documents etc. They should be able to explain everything. If they can't, then they haven't done their job and could be in trouble.

DazRave

Annie35 wrote: »

It's like a little mystery isn't it, & it's nice you're interested not just looking to 'renegotiate' down as a 'nervy FTB', lol

Thank you! Indeed it is (not going to lie, I've quite enjoyed the hunt)

My day job requires me to do a lot of research, coupled with the fact I'm very online-savvy it seemed natural to apply what I know I can do with house buying. Even with this current situation, the only thing that stresses me out the most is listening to family and friends give opinion's on how we should go about things. I do like a good factual based opinion and seem to very rarely get them lately.

Land_Registry wrote: »

As you unravel things it is quite possible that Pat's and Deirdre's situation are identical re the Freehold/Leaseholds with Deirdre's lease being unregistered as they bought before it became compulsory in the 80s

The more I dig deeper the more I'm starting to think your first point holds the most amount of weight about what is going on here. It would make perfect sense since Deidre bought the house from new and Pat moved in sometime in the late 70s / 80s. Pat has also had a considerable amount of work done on her property including a single story and two story extension. Deidre's property has never been altered.

Land_Registry wrote: »

Have you checked the head Leasehold title for mention if the registered/noted leases? Are both leases then referred to but Deirdre's is merely noted, namely with no title number listed against it?

The freehold to Pat's and Deirdre's property is exactly the same and lists a large block of properties in the area. All with the same registered owner - Large Estates LTD

There is a leasehold listed for both Pat and Deirdre's property which is also exactly the same. It lists Joe Bloggs LTD as the Proprietor of the Good Leasehold Title.

Pat's property has an additional leasehold that lists Pat and her husband as the Proprietor of the Good Leasehold Title.

I'm afraid I'm struggling to decrypt any other info on the freehold and leaseholds. It's above my ability to understand. I guess I could share what they say and remove the sensitive data e.g. names and registry numbers.

Land_Registry wrote: »

And as already posted what authority has Pat got to handle the sale and crucially to sign any legal documents?

We've since found out that Pat has the deeds to Deirdre's property in her possession. Although I'm assuming this is still not factual evidence they are entitled to sell the property or have POA.

Land_Registry wrote: »

It reads to me as if Deirdre has a fair bit of work to do to put the pieces in place for your conveyancer to press ahead. Hopefully your conveyancer will get the right details asap so you can proceed

It certainly seems that way doesn't it! Thank you for your awesome reply and help.

Okrib wrote: »

What has the agent been doing in all this?

Before taking on an instruction they need to complete KYC compliance. This means verifying who owns the property, checking Land Reg documents etc. They should be able to explain everything. If they can't, then they haven't done their job and could be in trouble.

Probably not doing a lot!

We're not massively keen on the Esate Agent to be honest. By talking directly with Pat we've already caught the Agent out with some 'bent' truths. Pat isn't massively happy with their service either.

I wasn't aware about the legal requirement for the Agent to check ownership etc (I assumed that comes out in the wash when the Solicitors get involved). Thank you for bringing that up!

Cakeguts

I am struggling to understand why there would be a headlease? Leasehold is very common in the North West but I don't think head leases are?

DazRave

Cakeguts wrote: »

I am struggling to understand why there would be a headlease? Leasehold is very common in the North West but I don't think head leases are?

That's also what I thought to be honest. The leases I've received on Pat's house does suggest their is one though. I think my investigation has gone as far as it can now.

ciderboy2009

Personally I would be concentrating my energy on the Power of Attorney at the moment - without it it's likely to be a fair while before you will be buying this house!