Garage Purchase - ex council

litl666

Hi - I am looking to purchase a garage from the current owner. Its an ex council garage in a block being sold through an estate agents.
I am interested in what needs to be done to get the garage in my name. Solicitors quotes have been between £550 and £800 - is that a lot? No idea what the work involved is or wether I could do some of the leg work myself? Its a cash sale which is less than the value of a used car.
Any advice appreciated. Thanks

da_rule

You can do it yourself. Assuming it's got a registered title, it'll just be a case of completing a form TR1, then you apply to the Land Registry for form AP1 and form ID1 (completed for both you and the seller if the seller isn't being represented).

You may decide that you can understand the title documents and you're happy to take the risk. If you think there's any risk that the title may contain something that you don't understand or that needs investigating then you may be better off going to the solicitor (and it gives you someone to sue if they mess it up).

litl666

Thanks for the quick reply. I would presume the title for the garage would be with the house so it would need to be removed and a new title produced?

da_rule

litl666 wrote: »

Thanks for the quick reply. I would presume the title for the garage would be with the house so it would need to be removed and a new title produced?

If that's the case then you may need a solicitor as, if there's a mortgage, you'll need to ensure that it is properly released from the garage. The mortgage company may not do this, as although you're only buying it for a few hundred, they may decide it adds more than that to the overall value of the property.

G_M

Is the garage mortaged?
Will you require a mortgage to buy?
Does the garage have its own LR Title or is it part of a larger Title?
Is the Title registered or unregistered?
Is it freehold or leasehold?

Answers will indicate the complexity involved, but in principle, transferring ownership of a garage is little different to transferring ownership of a house- the work involved is similar.

Slithery

litl666 wrote: »

Its a cash sale which is less than the value of a used car.

So between £0-£1000000 then.

Could you please be a bit more specific...

gaz_moose

id be concerned that it was leasehold.

litl666

OK - Its a cash sale around £7.5k. Being sold freehold by the owner. They are selling the garage seperateley from the house which they are keeping. I presume they are mortgage free (though I will check) My point about the car is I wouldnt need a solicitor to spend a similar amount on a car. Thanks for the replies.

tealady

Go to the land registry website(ALWAYS go via Gov.uk)
Pay for the title and any leases.
That should tell you if the title is part of the house or is separate.
It may also show things such as ground rent, or if owning the garage means you will be liable for a part of maintaining any communal areas.
Dont buy till you have checked these things at least.

davidmcn

litl666 wrote: »

They are selling the garage separately from the house which they are keeping.

So are they currently on the same title?

G_M

G_M wrote: »

Is the garage mortaged? unanswered
Will you require a mortgage to buy? no
Does the garage have its own LR Title or is it part of a larger Title? unanswered
Is the Title registered or unregistered? unanswered
Is it freehold or leasehold? freehold

Answers will indicate the complexity involved, but in principle, transferring ownership of a garage is little different to transferring ownership of a house- the work involved is similar.

Irrespective of price, buying property is not comparable with buying cars.