We organise land searches and check that these are satisfactory, raising enquiries as needed. Searches include local authority searches, Land Registry searches, environmental searches, water authority searches and more.

Searches cover planning, building regulations, drainage and sewage, easements (whether other people have the right to cross the land), footpaths, road schemes, water supply, public rights of way, and orders of the local authority. Additional searches may be needed specific to the location of the land, for example, coal mining searches.

We will raise an enquiry to find out if any wayleave agreements are in place between the landowner and utilities, telecoms or internet providers. If there are, the companies usually pay a yearly fee to the landowner to use their land.

This is also referred to as a ‘clawback’ clause in a contract. The seller may wish to include this clause to benefit from a share of the future profit generated from the land.

It is important that the terms of an overage clause are examined in detail as such a clause could entitle the seller to benefit from the land for up to 50 years.

We will check where boundaries lie and who is responsible for maintaining each boundary. Boundary disputes can be expensive, so we will take every possible step to make sure ownership and responsibility is clear from the outset.

We will liaise with your surveyor and negotiate with neighbours and other third parties as needed.

You can enter into an ‘option agreement’ with a seller which means you are not obliged to purchase the land unless you receive planning permission. If you cannot obtain planning permission to use the land as you intend within a specific timescale, then you can cancel the contract.

Our solicitors can advise you about option agreements and make sure such an agreement protects your interests.

We check contracts for restrictive covenants to ensure there is nothing to prevent you from developing the land as you wish.

If you require a mortgage, we will check that your purchase complies with the special conditions specified in the mortgage agreement.

Conditions might include not allowing anybody else to occupy the land without seeking the mortgage lender’s permission first or not being allowed to carry out certain alterations to the land.

Once you are happy with the outcomes of our investigations and the paperwork is complete, we will ask you to sign the contract. You are not legally bound to go through with the purchase at this stage.

Once all parties are ready to fully commit to the sale and purchase, contracts can be exchanged. You will typically pay the seller 10% of the purchase price at this stage. The purchase is now legally binding.

We will carry out ‘pre-completion searches’. These searches are for your mortgage lender to know that nothing has changed regarding your financial or corporate position since contracts were exchanged. Pre-completion searches are usually a condition of a mortgage agreement.

At this stage, your land conveyancer will request the release of the money from your mortgage lender, ready to transfer to the seller on completion day.

On completion day, money is transferred to the seller’s solicitors, and the keys to the land are released to you.

We will pay stamp duty land tax (SDLT) and register your ownership and the lender’s mortgage with HM Land Registry.

Once registration is complete, you will receive a copy of the deeds to your land, and the originals will be sent to the mortgage lender. If you do not require a mortgage, your land conveyancer will send the original deeds to you, or you can request that your bank retains them.