viewing a property with stables - questions to ask

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blood_magik

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I tried to search for previous threads but I didn't come up with anything relevant. :o

I'm going to view a property that comes with 11 acres of land, four stables and an outdoor school.
I've done my sums and it seems like the right choice to move away from livery.

I've got the following questions that need answering:
- are there any restrictions on building?
- land use - is it leisure equestrian/commercial equestrian/agricultural?
- are there restrictions on adding lights to the outdoor (neighbors etc)?
- is the land suitable for turnout (drainage)?
- is there shelter in the fields?
- is there drainage in the arena?
- is there storage for rugs/tack/feed?


Is there anything I've forgotten? :)
 
I would want to know about rights of way over the land. Ask about any covenants/ restrictions /easements.
I would also find out about rates if you dont currently have such a property.
 
I should check how visiable the stables are from the road, can the property, tack room etc be made secure. I am very concious about this as there is a lot of horse theiving in the area round here, I also like the fact that my stables are in a small paddock, so naughty escaping ponies in the past could not get out onto the public roads.
 
How about "Is the house habitable?":D

The main question I would ask is, was planning permission granted for the stables and arena? If so, I would want to see it. Could be tricky if PP was not granted - unless they were prepared to get retrospective permission.

If you do decide to buy, make sure your solicitor asks for confirmation in writing of all answers to your questions.

Good luck!
 
You can check on your local council website as to whether planning was granted for the stables and school (And also whether it was refused and on what grounds)... but you may find you will have to apply for flood lights if they are not already installed. Also ask about the land, do the current owners know what it has been used for in the past i.e mining or landfill etc...
 
All of the above are really sensible, nay, crucial things to ask. Also, is there water laid on and is it metered & if so, at domestic or business rate. Are there sewage charges or is there a soakaway, if so, where - can make your field v. soggy.
 
Farma said:
I would want to know about rights of way over the land. Ask about any covenants/ restrictions /easements.
I would also find out about rates if you dont currently have such a property.
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noted, thank you.

EAST KENT said:
Def need to find out if there is an Ag Tie on it
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also noted, thanks.

Antw23uk said:
I think the only question i would have is "Where do i sign?" :D
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haha yep :p

Adopter said:
I should check how visiable the stables are from the road, can the property, tack room etc be made secure. I am very concious about this as there is a lot of horse theiving in the area round here, I also like the fact that my stables are in a small paddock, so naughty escaping ponies in the past could not get out onto the public roads.
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The property is raised so you can't see the stables from the road and there is CCTV installed, although they could very well be dummy cameras.
Escaping horses is another good point - The stables are gated off from the house but I'm not sure if there's a gate between the house and the road.

Tammytoo said:
How about "Is the house habitable?":D

The main question I would ask is, was planning permission granted for the stables and arena? If so, I would want to see it. Could be tricky if PP was not granted - unless they were prepared to get retrospective permission.

If you do decide to buy, make sure your solicitor asks for confirmation in writing of all answers to your questions.

Good luck!
Click to expand...
The house needs work, from what I can see in the pictures. We would need to make sure everything is structurally sound though.
PP is another good point, thanks. We would no doubt need PP to build an indoor and storage sheds.
 
lea840 said:
You can check on your local council website as to whether planning was granted for the stables and school (And also whether it was refused and on what grounds)... but you may find you will have to apply for flood lights if they are not already installed. Also ask about the land, do the current owners know what it has been used for in the past i.e mining or landfill etc...
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good to know, thanks.

TTK said:
All of the above are really sensible, nay, crucial things to ask. Also, is there water laid on and is it metered & if so, at domestic or business rate. Are there sewage charges or is there a soakaway, if so, where - can make your field v. soggy.
Click to expand...
noted, thank you.
 
as others have said - Ag ties, rights of way.
Also who owns the boundary hedge/fence, if the land borders multiple fields check for each part.
If appropriate - which company laid arena surface and what is it?
Is there water supply to any/all fields? - auto fill/ tap etc. Also how does the water supply work? individual meter specifically for yard?
I seem to remember we also had soil samples done.
Has anyone other than the owner been allowed to graze livestock on the land? if so who and for how long? - if they have been grazing livestock on there for a period of time it may be advisable to get a legal letter sent for them to sign essentially saying they do not have any claim to the land. There is some funny law about land rights if someone has been allowed to graze on there and it can be quite difficult to prove/disprove how long they have used the land.
Double check the arena - or any other added parts have planning permission. Particularly if the the arena has lights as these often aren't covered in planning or specifically are refused in the planning permission.
Electrics down the yard - condition and how extensive they are. Eg lights in all stables, tack/ feed areas/ power points for clipping/ kettle etc. Most of this would probably be easily rectifiable providing that there is electrical supply currently existing down there. However remember most main electrical work will have to be carried out by a qualified electrician rather than yourself so factor that in.
Boundary condition - is it secure and looks to have a lot of life left? This would be a large cost if hedges were inadequate etc and you needed to inner fence/repair so take this cost into account. Also why you need to know who the boundaries belong to (as well as so you don't accidentally cut the neighbouring farmers hedge that has a wildlife grant to be left uncut for 3 years...oops :o)

ooh another important one - do they currently have a friendly farmer neighbour who cuts hedges/ bales haylage etc for them :). Also ask them what they currently do with their muck and if removed what bedding they are allowed to use - e.g. we have ours removed and can't use wood pellets/shavings.

Hope this helps a bit :).
 
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Check boundary ownership and fencing covenants etc. Also if there is a school have your surveyor dig down to check for hardcore as it costs a bomb to put right.

As it turned out my manage lights were illegal but ... and this is a gem ... someone reported my dodgy dealer neighbour for a planning issue, she assumed it was me as I had stood up to her - wasn't. The planning officer came said they had been up so long they were now legal and gave me a nice letter to prove it:D Thanks very much hee hee.
 
becca1305 said:
as others have said - Ag ties, rights of way.
Also who owns the boundary hedge/fence, if the land borders multiple fields check for each part.
If appropriate - which company laid arena surface and what is it?
Is there water supply to any/all fields? - auto fill/ tap etc. Also how does the water supply work? individual meter specifically for yard?
I seem to remember we also had soil samples done.
Has anyone other than the owner been allowed to graze livestock on the land? if so who and for how long? - if they have been grazing livestock on there for a period of time it may be advisable to get a legal letter sent for them to sign essentially saying they do not have any claim to the land. There is some funny law about land rights if someone has been allowed to graze on there and it can be quite difficult to prove/disprove how long they have used the land.
Double check the arena - or any other added parts have planning permission. Particularly if the the arena has lights as these often aren't covered in planning or specifically are refused in the planning permission.
Electrics down the yard - condition and how extensive they are. Eg lights in all stables, tack/ feed areas/ power points for clipping/ kettle etc. Most of this would probably be easily rectifiable providing that there is electrical supply currently existing down there. However remember most main electrical work will have to be carried out by a qualified electrician rather than yourself so factor that in.
Boundary condition - is it secure and looks to have a lot of life left? This would be a large cost if hedges were inadequate etc and you needed to inner fence/repair so take this cost into account. Also why you need to know who the boundaries belong to (as well as so you don't accidentally cut the neighbouring farmers hedge that has a wildlife grant to be left uncut for 3 years...oops :o)

ooh another important one - do they currently have a friendly farmer neighbour who cuts hedges/ bales haylage etc for them :). Also ask them what they currently do with their muck and if removed what bedding they are allowed to use - e.g. we have ours removed and can't use wood pellets/shavings.

Hope this helps a bit :).
Click to expand...
great, thanks.

Shivvy said:
Check boundary ownership and fencing covenants etc. Also if there is a school have your surveyor dig down to check for hardcore as it costs a bomb to put right.

As it turned out my manage lights were illegal but ... and this is a gem ... someone reported my dodgy dealer neighbour for a planning issue, she assumed it was me as I had stood up to her - wasn't. The planning officer came said they had been up so long they were now legal and gave me a nice letter to prove it:D Thanks very much hee hee.
Click to expand...
awesome, thank you :)
 
All of the above but also obviously location; I would need to have good varied hacking routes.

It is easy to fall for an affordable land/stables/school set-up but I wouldn't want to have to box everywhere to get variety. Friends of ours moved from their beautiful property for this reason.

Oh yes, and good vehicular access.
 
I would see if they'd be happy to share their bills with you, ie how much is electric, water, rates (if they pay them for the school/ yard) you'd be amazed how much flood lights in the winter can be and how much water horses use if it's metered.
I'd look our for the state of the gateways so get a feel for condition of the land, it is over grazed and covered in weeds.
I'd ask about their land management, when was each field last, fertilised, weedkillered, rolled, harrowed etc and with what (i'll give you some idea how much they understand about pasture management)
How many horses they have currently/ have had in the past? so you can judge whether you're plans are sensible. If they've only had 2 maybe question why.
Agree totally with planning permission, not just have they got it but what were the conditions, read it yourself and see if you can spot whether they've complied or not.
Have a look out for the grass that only grows in a bog, it's dark green and spiky grows in clumps - avoid if the land has lots of that !!!
Ask what they are taking with them, if all the electric fencing, gates, stable doors, field shelters etc. (everything not nailed down!) disappear with them how much will it be for you to replace!
Good luck
 
Be nice to the owners!

They will probably have spent all day clearing up, sweeping the yard etc. and a nice word makes such a difference. I have had various people looking round my property, and one woman was so snotty I wouldn't have sold it to her if she had begged me (oh ok, I might have done, but I didn't want to inflict her on my lovely neighbours :)).

Even if you don't like it, say something nice - when we bought our last property we couldn't really afford it but we said how lovely it was.

The owners were so thrilled we loved it - so many people had gone round pointing out its faults, thinking that way they could make a lower offer- that they rang us up and offered us another way to buy it (some land now, some land later) which meant we could afford it. So it pays to at least be complimentary!
 
Check with council re most of your queries, rather than the vendor/ estate agent (they are not that honest/knowledegable)

Get property inspection reports on the house/building/pest/engineers (if req)/surveyors (if req).

I found that the electricity needed to be upgraded on our property, after we bought it, you can also get an electrician/plumber to come out and give you a report, it these areas may be a concern. Obviously you dont proceed with all the reports till you have checked out as much as you can first.

Walk around the whole property, more than on one visit, you miss things on just one visit, take notes as you walk around.
 
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