Buying your own land....

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ldlp111

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Ok so as title really, am looking to buy some land of my own. There is a field up for auction soon. But not sure what process entails :confused:
Do I need a solicitor before the auction date incase I am the winning bidder ? :confused: Also I think you need a bankers draft for the auction will confirm this, but how do I obtain one? and what is it?:confused:

Is it advisable to get a copy of the legal pack?

Any other advice appreciated :)
 
Deffo get a legal pack. Also I'd really suggest seeing the land in the winter to see how waterlogged it gets or if it drains well

you need to know if the land has any features like Right Of Way, Profit a Pendre's for fishing / shooting rights.

Check if is has an uplift clause.

Check how much mains services will be if there aren't any as connecting mains water n electric can be horrifying if they are a distance away.

Check boundary fences and your obligations to them ie you replace and maintain.

A bankers draft will be hard to arrange for the day as you don't know the amount you will pay. Usually you pay a deposit and the balance within 10 days.

Having your own land is great but depending on what you want to do it can be a huge money pit.
 
Have been over and checked land and access, few issues to sort out with it. It will probably only be a summer field really. So not too worried about elec/water at the moment. There is no right of way on any maps of the area. Assume no fishing rights as no where to fish not sure about shooting etc.
So if I manage to buy it can I pay be personal cheque for the deposit?
Also how would you go about checking where elec/ water can be connected to?

:) thanks

ets looking to buy rather than rent as OH sees buying as more of an investment :)
 
ldlp111 said:
Only thing really concerns me is the oak trees in hedge boundary. :)
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Check no trees have preservation orders on them as it may hinder any felling/ cutting you may wish to do.

As for mains look to see where / how far is nearest current supply going as they will probably connect to them.
Re mains if you do plan to rent it out most people want mains / elec these days and if not will hinder the amount of rent you could charge.

I am assuming you know your ceiling limit for how much you want to pay so I'd check with Auction House and see what there deposit % is and then take in cash.
 
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Ditto above. However, get the legal pack AND get a solicitor to check it over before our go to the auction. Legal packs are quite intense, and unless you are legally trained much of it will not mean much to you, and you therefore may miss one thing that may,for example, cause you concern or issues in the future.
 
ldlp111 said:
Have been over and checked land and access, few issues to sort out with it. It will probably only be a summer field really. So not too worried about elec/water at the moment. There is no right of way on any maps of the area. Assume no fishing rights as no where to fish not sure about shooting etc.
So if I manage to buy it can I pay be personal cheque for the deposit?
Also how would you go about checking where elec/ water can be connected to?

:) thanks

ets looking to buy rather than rent as OH sees buying as more of an investment :)
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rights of way might exist without being marked on a map - make sure you get legal advice before the auction as certain rights over your land or obligations associated with it could affect how much it is worth
 
Any idea how much they would charge to check legal pack? :)

Basically long story short, my dad owns land they are currently on and the field I had been using for summer grazing, had intended to move them there permanently but he has let someone else on the land and I get the impression I am not welcome there anymore despite being a 7 acre field and lady only having two horses. The field at home is also under threat as a road may potentially being put through the middle of it :( so either way i'm slightly screwed :(

Field for sale looks to have great hacking as lots of bridleways :)
 
Have a call round local agricultural solicitors and ask them how much they would charge - can't think it would be more than a couple of hours - but key to do. It would be a nightmare to buy it and find there is a clause in the deeds that says you can't keep horses on the land !!
Electric and water will be crazy expensive (£20k ish for a few 100 meters each!) so I'd think more about investing in a towable water tank that you can fill at your current yard and tow to the new field. Electic if you need it from a generator or solar panels on a fieldshelter roof.

Auction house will be happy to tell you how to register, bid and pay if you win.
 
I bought a 5 acre field at auction a few years ago. Just went and bid. paid deposit [10%] with a personal cheque and the balance within 30 days. these were the auctioneers terms.
I didnt have a legal pack or anything just rang the solicitor we had used when buying our house after the auction. they did the necesary paper work. theres no elec or water but I bought a water bowser which I fill at home. its the best buy i've ever made.
 
I assume, you can't use the same solicitors as the vendor?
Just looked on the estate agents site and they don't accept cash deposits, will phone at somee point to check what they do accept.
 
Well have just phoned solicitors who are acting for the vendor and lady said she will post me a copy, was hoping to pick it up today but that's fine.
Well hopefully she is sending me what I want :confused::D
Scary stuff :eek::)
 
We got our water connected for free. There is a water main that runs past the field so we just had to put the pipes in on our land and and water board sorted the rest.
 
Is the land currently agricultural? If so, you will need to apply for change of use to keep horses as they are not agricultural animals.

Will you be needing hard standing and/or stables? Try to assess your chances of gettiing pp for these.

I didn't buy from an auction but once I had the land I had fun and games with the planners!

Good luck.
 
It used to be arable land but has been converted back to grass ley, how much would planning be to change to equestrian use? Not looking to put stables in but will be putting in a shelter but assume can get around this with the so-called mobile shelter.:)
 
ldlp111 said:
It used to be arable land but has been converted back to grass ley, how much would planning be to change to equestrian use? Not looking to put stables in but will be putting in a shelter but assume can get around this with the so-called mobile shelter.:)
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If you got some sheep as well the shelter would be their shelter and the horses would be 'incidental' to the agricultural use of the land...just a thought, as the sheep would be good for the land too. Maybe something to consider if you have issues with the planners getting equestrian use on it. Just make sure there are more sheep than numbers of horses :-))
 
I *think* this comes under Other changes of use of a building or land so would be £385. But the planningportal.gov.uk has a planning application fees calculator.

It's worth having a chat with your local council planners as different councils seem to operate different policies; if you're intending to put down hard standing for your mobile field shelter, for example, you will most likely need pp for that.
 
lachlanandmarcus said:
If you got some sheep as well the shelter would be their shelter and the horses would be 'incidental' to the agricultural use of the land...just a thought, as the sheep would be good for the land too. Maybe something to consider if you have issues with the planners getting equestrian use on it. Just make sure there are more sheep than numbers of horses :-))
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Tee hee, yes, but you'll need holding number to keep the sheep. I don't think you have to have change of use to GRAZE horses but you do need it to RIDE in your field!

However, as said, different councils operate different policies.

Oh, meant to say, the biggest problem I had was with Highways, who told me that the visiblity wasn't good enough for getting out of my field onto the road. How the house next door had managed since time immemoriam I've no idea!
 
Around here grazing horses does not need change of use. However, it you want to put in stables, or an arena, you would need planning permission.

When you read the legal pack you need to check for who is responsible for the fencing and keeping the ditches cleared. Some vendors say that the buyer has to install a stock-proof fence by a certain date, for instance. Is the vendor going to leave the gate in place (I have heard of some removing the gates when selling!). Shooting rights normally go to the buyer. Some fields have a right of access for a neighbouring landowner. Also check for any wayleaves, e.g. a water main under the field.

Water and electricity connections are mega expensive, but I think the Solar lighting is getting quite good now.

Don't forget to factor in stamp duty charges and the cost of conveyencing. If you are the successful bidder you will need to pay a deposit (10% at the auction) and then have a few weeks to complete. If you are not known to the auctioneers you would have to talk to your bank and get something in writing - ask what the auctioneers need.

7 acres - it is going to be quite a lot, is there a guide price?
 
Just bear in mind if you start ringing your local council they have habit of making it up for ie what it can be used for! But find out what its status is currently(ie you can look at title deeds on land registry of current owners etc). I bought a field and to find its status was hard. In fact I ended up telling the council what I thought it was and they just agreed. The field shelter they definitely made up the planning (as i think they were short of dosh).

But a solicitor can just run over any particular issues that stand out. Good luck.
 
Sorry field i'm looking at is only 2.4 acres, field I was using for summer grazing is 7 acres.
:)

thanks great advice :)
 
I am afraid that you do need Planning Permission for change of use from agricultural to equestrian even if the horses are just being grazed on the field. You may also need planning for mobile field shelters. Be aware that if you intend driving vehicles in to or out of the field on to the road that again planning will be required which will involve the highways department.
 
Whether you need planning for grazing or not seems like it is a local issue. Where there is a large horse population, there are probably different policies in place. Council Officers are there to help the public (we pay their wages) so just give them a call and ask what the local policies are concernng horses/grazing/stables/mobile shelters. In my area there are very few restrictions. You might be able to find this information on the Council website too.

I hadn't heard of needing permission to drive out of a field. What about farmers?
 
Here is a couple of paragraphs from my local council website - The grazing of horses on agricultural land does not constitute a material change from a former agricultural use, however anything beyond the grazing of horses would require planning permission.
As a result although the grazing of horses on agricultural land does not require any planning permission any physical development associated with horsiculture such as stables, food stores, jumps and menageries etc and the change of use to the exercising/keeping of horses, which is not agriculture under the Section 336 of the Planning Act, would require a planning application.
 
Really does depend where you are re planning. We had the chief planning officer in the end , we had three ponies but numerous sheep etc on the land. they said that as long as we dont buy in any feed (we make our own hay ) then because of the other animals we were ok. (5 acres)

I have always paid with a bankers draft straight from the bank. We work out what our maximum bid is and do the required amount of that and hope !!
Best of luck, lovely to own your own bit .
 
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