Buying Land - where to begin? Any bewares?

Lilly-Mayspookatbags

Lilly-Mayspookatbags

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Very fortunate that I am in a position to put an offer on some land about 15 minutes away from me ( less than 5 acres - no water or electric )

I don’t have a house so I have never bought anything like this before - where do I even begin?!

It’s a nice triangle plot with road frontage. No shelter.

Any beware for first time buyers?
 
I’ve done similar over the last 18 months.

It’s been fun for the most part.

More expensive than anticipated - I kind of went in thinking I’d do things bit by bit, but kind of found myself then wanting it all done well NOW!! I funded a lot of the materials/infrastructure on a credit card with 0% interest on all purchases for first 3 months. Meant I can do it NOW, and repay it over 21 months.

Make friends with the locals. Especially the farmers. I’ve now got a super network for hay, muck, hedges, harrow/rolling, fence repairs.

Because I wanted to do things right I went for change of use and PP for hardstanding and shelter. This was a bit of a ballache as it put me into major development category and we had to jump through the ecology hoops to show a 10% biodiversity net gain. In reality this has meant planting some trees and hedges and keeping a margin of improved grass & wild flower. So it depends on how you envisage using the land as to whether you want to go this route.

Water I had a supply already. I’m sure others will advise on harvesting it, but from prior experience not having mains water is a royal PITA. So I’d get quotes for mains personally.

Electricity - I didn’t have. The quote for mains was eye watering. I initially considered having the whole shelter roof kitted in solar, with decent battery storage for a fully self sufficient supply, that was coming in 8-10k. I decided to wing it for cheaper and glad I did because I have no issues with what I have done.

I run electric fencing off a Gallagher S100 until and it does the 6 acres very easily with a decent kick.

I run cctv using the rural view zoom camera and their solar unit, again super reliable.

I then have a couple of 110Ah leisure batteries in the tack room with an adapter which runs lighting and kettle and charges my electric bike etc. I also have a petrol generator that I got off marketplace that has had barely any use - just power tools to cut wood etc.

There isn’t much I would do differently so far. The main thing I have nailed after a lot of considerations and then tweaking it following advice from fencing contractor, is the access - made it wider, and really work out how Lorrys/tractors will need to manoeuvre.
 
Check for:
Crazy neighbours or neighbours likely to sell soon.
Sycamore trees nearby.
Does the hunt go past in winter.
Same for shooting.
Any local issues like off road bikers etc.
Official entrance for access (not easy to get if it isn’t there already) even if there is no way into the land at all without it.
Runoff from elsewhere into your field in winter (that would make it too boggy)
 
As above, particularly making access for tractors/trailers big enough. Also, find out the soil type if you don't already know as this will determine how you can get best use out of it - how much hardstanding you will need, etc etc.
 
Have a talk with local planning department before hand to advise of your plans for the land and likelihood of getting planning but be warned they can and do change their minds when you actually submit plans and have a contingency for this if possible.
 
I bought 6 acres of grazing 15 years ago (house on site too), comments re the land bit of it:

Find a good solicitor used to dealing with rural/land matters.

You say you are road fronted, where does your boundary begin and what is highway. I'm up a track, but at the end of my track highways insisted my gate had to be so far back from the road.

Does anyone have rights of way across you?

I had to apply for change of use to equestrian, despite the fact that there had been horses and stables there for years (stables had appropriate planning).

I also decided to apply for planning permission for my arena (being totally transparent, I did think twice about whether just to do it). I have a public footpath that runs up my far boundary, and due to the camber of the land you can't actually see my arena from there, but it only takes one busy body...

So same goes for anything you put up (shelters), consider appropriate planning or options that don't need planning. If you are visible from the road someone could report you for something they don't like.

Make nice with the neighbours! I've got a couple of local farmers who do my field maintenance that requires tractors etc. I don't have liveries anymore but a few friends come and go, one parks a couple of trailers here and another comes up just for some fresh and and with his dog, and in return they're always happy to help with the smaller odd jobs. I had a friend who I let use a spare stable for storage at one point too. I live alone and quite like extra people coming and going, even at random times, as I think it helps from a security point of view (anyone watching my routines, for example).

Get good CCTV, and ideally an electric gate. I have two, one at the end of my track and one nearer the house/yard. Yes, sometimes they break and can be a pain, but so are frozen padlocks at 6am in the dark when it's raining. (Just read-read and seen no electricity!).

That said, I don't subscribe to keeping your property like fort knox. I used to keep tack in the house not on the yard, and when I moved in I converted what was their tack room into a yard kitchen/toilet. I put a door with glass and a saparate window in - so far (touch wood) I haven't had any issues. My logic is if people can see there is nothing worth stealing, unless they are purely there to vandalise they won't then bother.

What's the drainage like? Are your fences secure? Essentially, how much of an initial outlay have you got to fund.

Are you planning on managing without electricity and water? It will make your life considerably easier with access to both. What are the mechanics and costs involved?
 
Please be aware that planning costs are going up by a large amount in April (the government have decided) so save a lot of money by getting it done this month if possible.
 
They also want to know where your muck heap will be positioned or did when we got ours for equine use.
My friend had to take down all their stables even though they were on skids, as someone complained they could see them for their property even though they were quite far away
 
There may be an improvement clause in the sales contract so the seller will be entitled to x percentage when you sell. I can’t recall the real name for the clause.
 
Midlifecrisis said:
There may be an improvement clause in the sales contract so the seller will be entitled to x percentage when you sell. I can’t recall the real name for the clause.
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An uplift? Often put in if the land is a suitable site for developers to put new houses on, whereby if you sold to them you'd be making a considerable profit.
 
Once purchased - try not to do anything too permanent for at least 12 months, until you have been there through all the seasons.

Clearly boundary fencing is top priority - but split the fields using electric and use field shelters.

Often where you think things should go is often not what you still think a year later when you've seen where mud appears, where wind blows, where springs are (the top of one of my fields is much wetter than the bottom which defies the laws of physics!)
 
asmp said:
Please be aware that planning costs are going up by a large amount in April (the government have decided) so save a lot of money by getting it done this month if possible.
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I think you can apply for pp on a property you don't own, is that right?
If so you could start the planning process before the sale is finalised
 
Check the Land Registry document. This may seem obvious but when we saw ours for the acres we were buying a previous sale had not been registered, so it was incorrect
Depending on the where it is there may be local Drainage Board rates. I would also have a look on google earth for past photo's of access. because you can not just put a gate on to road.
We had to pay for legal insurance in case the Cof E, who used to own a lot of land here made some sort of claim.
 
Read all the conditions of sale carefully. Make sure you have legal access from the highway - solicitor should check this. Check that no one else has rights over the land, as in right of access, sporting rights.

Water and electricity are eye-wateringly expensive, so is fencing.
Good fences are a must
 
Aside from the great information already provided:
Check for overage.
Check for planning history and possible enforcements both for this land and for neighbouring land.
Check to see if the land surrounding the property features in any Local or Neighbourhood Plan as an identified or potential development site.
 
Exciting! I would say make sure you aren’t near a big road and padlock gates and turn hinges to deter theft. Also make sure you have budget left over for fencing! Have fun!
 
When you’re checking planning issues on the local authority website take note of the status of the area - is it in a conservation area or ANOB, that might affect ease of getting planning permission. Look for past applications and applications for places nearby that might affect how you use the land.
Highway engineers like access gate to be set back from the road far enough that you can stop your vehicle entirely off the carriageway while you open the gate. With a car and trailer that’s a good distance.
 
sarcasm_queen said:
Check if there’s any footpaths/rights of way over the land
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I'd go further. Don't buy it if it has any rights of way unless you can fence them off with dog proof and "don't feed my horse" fencing.

Don't buy if neighbours can dump their lawn mowings and vegetable peelings over into your field.

Assume your neighbour won't maintain fences that they are responsible for and factor in having to do that to keep their animals off your land.
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If you can find any 'Don't feed my horse' fencing, please let me know.
We live on the premises, have drystone walls with interior horse friendly stock fencing and 3 kits of electric fencing and still need cameras to keep the entitled idiots out, when they let their dogs get in and then feed the horses to stop them chasing the dog. The public footpath runs through our neighbours' fields!
 
Pearlsasinger said:
If you can find any 'Don't feed my horse' fencing, please let me know.
We live on the premises, have drystone walls with interior horse friendly stock fencing and 3 kits of electric fencing and still need cameras to keep the entitled idiots out, when they let their dogs get in and then feed the horses to stop them chasing the dog. The public footpath runs through our neighbours' fields!
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We have a footpath along one side. We have multiple strands of barbed wire, close enough together that neither child nor small dog nor adult can get through or over. Yes a large dog could jump, but we have found that they don’t bother. Prior to this we had groups of kids, families and multiple dogs coming in to visit the ponies. Electric fencing in from that keeps hands offering carrots away.
 
maya2008 said:
We have a footpath along one side. We have multiple strands of barbed wire, close enough together that neither child nor small dog nor adult can get through or over. Yes a large dog could jump, but we have found that they don’t bother. Prior to this we had groups of kids, families and multiple dogs coming in to visit the ponies. Electric fencing in from that keeps hands offering carrots away.
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You would truly be amazed if you could see the lengths we have gone to, to keep the idiots out. I shall be able to relax in 3 or 4yrs time when the bushes have grown. So long as nobody cuts the bushes back, as has happened to the saplings. Funnily enough it all seems to have stopped since we put the cameras up.
 
I no longer have a bull, but I do still have the beware of the bull sign, plus caution electric fence. Even if there are no public footpaths on your land its best to have public liability and legal cover, just so some 'stray' person gets injured. There is a man who walks his dog every morning and stands just behind the hedge so he can look down our paddock. I never knew we were that interesting, but it drives the dogs and sometimes the ponies bonkers.
 
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94lunagem said:
An uplift? Often put in if the land is a suitable site for developers to put new houses on, whereby if you sold to them you'd be making a considerable profit.
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You mean clawbacks I think. I was very aware of these when looking for property with land heres the definition
clawback on land refers to an agreement where a seller receives additional payments if the buyer obtains planning permission to develop the property or implements such permission. These payments are in addition to the initial purchase price and are usually expressed as a percentage of the increase in value of the land.234

When selling land, a seller can negotiate that additional payments, known as overage or clawback, will be due if the buyer obtains planning permission to develop the property or implements it.23 For example, if the land is sold for £500,000 and an overage of 10% of the increase in value is agreed upon, the seller would receive an additional payment if the buyer obtains planning permission that increases the land's value.5

Key considerations for sellers include the trigger events that will require the additional payment, such as the granting of planning permission or the future sale of the property for a different purpose.34 The period over which the agreement will subsist can extend up to 20 years, but it is common for arrangements to last 10 to 15 years.3

To ensure the seller retains the benefit of the clawback arrangements for the remaining period of the agreement, the agreement should obligate the purchaser to require future successors in title to the land to enter into an agreement with the seller on the same terms.3 A standard security, such as a restriction on the registered title, is often used to back up the clawback agreement.34

However, the existence of a clawback agreement can complicate a purchaser's ability to grant a standard security over the property to a lender, as most high street lenders do not regularly deal with clawback arrangements.4

  • Trigger Events: Events that will require additional payments, such as the granting of planning permission or the future sale of the property for a different purpose.34
  • Duration: The period over which the agreement will subsist, commonly between 10 to 20 years.3
  • Security: A standard security, such as a restriction on the registered title, is used to back up the clawback agreement.34
  • Complexity: The agreement can complicate a purchaser's ability to grant a standard security over the property to a lender.

Also, look on the environment agency site to see flood maps and if the land may be prone to flooding.
 
We bought our rented land/yard in September. Find a very good solicitor ours was hopeless!

I am lucky due to my job have lots of contacts in land management. Put in a good muck heap, look at your access and be sure that you can get in and out with tractors and trailers. Find a good hay/haylage/bedding person. Be mindful if you don't have a proper driveway in how are they going to deliver during the winter and these wet months! We've just joined The Woodland Trust who have grants for hedging and trees and will match them to your land. Join land management groups, there's a great one on Facebook. Put up cameras we have them all round the yard and they are worth every penny. Be aware that it is very hard work but so satisfying. I never knew that I would learn so much about fencing and ditches 😂
 
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