Buying land

JamesMcGillESQ

Hi all,
Used forum search and found some info that helped me, particularly a thread where a Land Registry rep replied... However I couldn't find anything that was wholly relevant to my query so posting in the help some more knowledgeable folk on here can help me.
Disclaimer is I'm an absolute novice, never bought land or property in my life and don't know the first thing about doing so!
Someone lives opposite me and has a parcel of land completely overgrown with trees and shrubbery. I wanted to purchase this parcel of land (which has it's own deeds on the land registry) to use as off-street parking (we live on a main road and have no facility for this. Unfortunately the lay of the land prevents us installing a driveway on our property).
I had a chat to the old guy who owns it and asked would he be interested and offered him a small amount of money and he said yes. But that I have to handle it all with the paperwork side of things.
I suppose my question is how do I go about this? I note a form on the Land Registry site about change of ownership and whilst I have no knowledge in this area, feel I can safely assume it isn't as simple as us both signing that and it's done (lol).
Do I just go to a solicitor with this and they sort it all or what? What input do I need from the current owner?
Sorry for all the questions but it's all new to me.
Thanks in advance!

p00hsticks

My first question would be whether the land currently has vehicular access, as if it doesn't you'd probably need to speak to the local council to get permission to add it, (which they may not necessarily agree to if it's a busy main road). 

I'm not sure, but perhaps you'd also need to check how the land is classified, to determine if what you propose would be a change of use ?
 
You can draw the Land Registry reps attention to the is thread by tagging them thus @Land_Registry

theartfullodger

Re.... """ I had a chat to the old guy who owns it and asked would he be interested and offered him a small amount of money and he said yes....."""

He'll very likely decide he wants a great deal more when he speaks to his friends & relatives...  (If not and you go ahead your reputation may suffer.. due to "small amount"... )

Is there an existing dropped curb next to the parcel of land you are after?? 

Have you purchased (probably £3..) the deeds from gov.uk land registry?? 

user1977

You'd also want to check whether anything in the titles might prohibit the proposed use.

Also - if you haven't bought any other property, who owns wherever you live? Would it not make more sense for them to buy the land?

theartfullodger

user1977 said:

.....

Also - if you haven't bought any other property, who owns wherever you live? Would it not make more sense for them to buy the land?

That smells of a bidding war.... 

eddddy

In theory, you could do the conveyancing yourselves (you and the neighbour) - but since both of you are unfamiliar with the process, you should probably each hire your own solicitor.

You'd each provide your own solicitor with some fairly straightforward information - like the Land Reg title number, the agreed price, the name of the other party, and the details of the other party's solicitor.

You'd need to agree in advance whether you each pay your own legal fees, or you pay both parties' legal fees etc.

JamesMcGillESQ said:

Someone lives opposite me and has a parcel of land completely overgrown with trees and shrubbery. I wanted to purchase this parcel of land (which has it's own deeds on the land registry) to use as off-street parking (we live on a main road and have no facility for this.

You say it's a main road - so you're likely to need planning permission for a new vehicle access (if there isn't one already).

It might be refused because of safety concerns - e.g. too many accesses along the road, poor visibility, etc

And you'll probably need room to drive onto the land frontwards, turn around, and drive off the land frontwards. (As reversing off or onto a main road would probably be considered to be too dangerous.)

daveyjp

You need to ensure you can use it for parking first.
You also need some time to sort this out.

You therefore need an option on the land.  This stops the owner selling to anyone else whilst you undertake your due diligence and get permission in place.  

An option is a simple legal document setting out the terms, how long, cost, propsed use, etc etc.

https://www.herrington-carmichael.com/what-is-an-option-agreement/


Once you have permission in place you can take up the option, purchase the land and do the work.

user1977

daveyjp said:

You need to ensure you can use it for parking first.
You also need some time to sort this out.

You therefore need an option on the land.  This stops the owner selling to anyone else whilst you undertake your due diligence and get permission in place.  

An option is a simple legal document setting out the terms, how long, cost, propsed use, etc etc.

https://www.herrington-carmichael.com/what-is-an-option-agreement/

Once you have permission in place you can take up the option, purchase the land and do the work.

A conditional contract would be more normal where it's as straightforward as "I'll definitely complete the purchase if/when I get planning permission". Options are more for retaining longterm rights and having the ability to change your mind and not bother proceeding.

JamesMcGillESQ

p00hsticks said:

My first question would be whether the land currently has vehicular access, as if it doesn't you'd probably need to speak to the local council to get permission to add it, (which they may not necessarily agree to if it's a busy main road). 

I'm not sure, but perhaps you'd also need to check how the land is classified, to determine if what you propose would be a change of use ?
 
You can draw the Land Registry reps attention to the is thread by tagging them thus @Land_Registry

Thank you for your reply.
No current access, this would need to be applied for and a drop kerb put intheartfullodger said:

Re.... """ I had a chat to the old guy who owns it and asked would he be interested and offered him a small amount of money and he said yes....."""

He'll very likely decide he wants a great deal more when he speaks to his friends & relatives...  (If not and you go ahead your reputation may suffer.. due to "small amount"... )

Is there an existing dropped curb next to the parcel of land you are after?? 

Have you purchased (probably £3..) the deeds from gov.uk land registry?? 

Thank you for your reply. Good point about the price. No current drop kerb, I'd have to get the council to put one in if they agreed. I looked at purchasing the deeds but honestly didn't know what they'd show or if they'd be useful so didn't bother. I guess I'd need to do this to find out what the land is "classed as" currently?

JamesMcGillESQ

eddddy said:

In theory, you could do the conveyancing yourselves (you and the neighbour) - but since both of you are unfamiliar with the process, you should probably each hire your own solicitor.

You'd each provide your own solicitor with some fairly straightforward information - like the Land Reg title number, the agreed price, the name of the other party, and the details of the other party's solicitor.

You'd need to agree in advance whether you each pay your own legal fees, or you pay both parties' legal fees etc.

JamesMcGillESQ said:

Someone lives opposite me and has a parcel of land completely overgrown with trees and shrubbery. I wanted to purchase this parcel of land (which has it's own deeds on the land registry) to use as off-street parking (we live on a main road and have no facility for this.

You say it's a main road - so you're likely to need planning permission for a new vehicle access (if there isn't one already).

It might be refused because of safety concerns - e.g. too many accesses along the road, poor visibility, etc

And you'll probably need room to drive onto the land frontwards, turn around, and drive off the land frontwards. (As reversing off or onto a main road would probably be considered to be too dangerous.)

Thank you for replying and for the useful info

JamesMcGillESQ

user1977 said:

You'd also want to check whether anything in the titles might prohibit the proposed use.

Also - if you haven't bought any other property, who owns wherever you live? Would it not make more sense for them to buy the land?

Thank you for replying. My current property is rented. The land I am looking at is on the opposite side of the road.