11-13-2008, 08:47 PM
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How to LEGALLY Claim Free Land and Property in the UK!
This really works! It really is worth the initial legwork � once you have started the process with one plot/property the second one is easy � you know the ropes and instinctively know if it feels right!
You would be surprised at how helpful local residents are � they are happy to have an eyesore of a house smartened up and to have overgrown plots cleared and made respectable; after all it helps their homes increase in value! Who wants to live alongside a derelict house that often attracts undesirables hanging around or a plot strewn with discarded rubbish and overgrown weeds? The UK Land Registry currently holds details of approximately 19 million registered land and property plots in the England and Wales. There are an estimated 7 million unregistered land and properties in the UK at the moment with an estimated value of in excess of �6 Billion!!! I am not claiming that all 7 million plots can be easily claimed � however the likelihood of finding several plots or properties that you can claim is very good! The details below primarily deal with the subject of adverse possession relative to the Land Laws of England and Wales, similar procedures still apply in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Some of the terminology is different but the same principles apply. Adverse possession is a truly global process and has been practised for many hundreds of years worldwide including USA and Canada. In fact this principal can be used throughout the whole of Europe too! These plots and properties probably do have an owner somewhere, they may just not have been registered, it could be that the owner has died and not left a will or has no relatives. They may have left the area years ago and a large number of plots and properties are simply forgotten! These are all properties or plots that you can legally claim as your own and IMMEDIATELY starting earning money from �your� plot or property - if you follow carefully my detailed instructions�� The legal definition of adverse possession is: �The gaining of title to real estate, by continuous, hostile, open and notorious possession over a statutory period� Contact Details England , Wales & Republic of Ireland HM Land Registry 32 Lincoln�s Inn Fields London WC2A 3PH www.landregistry.gov.uk Public Guide #1 A free guide that explains all of the information kept by the Land Registry and how to gain visibility of it. This can also be downloaded from their website. Scotland Edinburgh Customer Service Centre Erskine House 68 Queen Street Edinburgh EH2 4NF LP 50 Edinburgh 5 DX 550906 Edinburgh 9 General Enquiries Tel. 0845 607 0161 Fax. 0131 200 3932 Registers of Scotland Executive Agency customer.services@ros.gov.uk Ireland Land Registry Chancery Street Dublin 7 PRAI - Home Get Started Find your plot or property! The best place to start is in an area that you are familiar with, around where you live or work. It is usually better to walk around the area as when driving you may miss that elusive overgrown gate, boarded up old property or rough strip of land. (Two of the properties that I am currently renting out even had dingy net curtains at the windows!) You will probably have driven past it many times and not even notice it! � The best type of property is the one that is overgrown and appears un-used. � � Do not assume that empty pieces of land or grass verges are owned by the Local Authority or Utilities board. � There are many strips of land that can be claimed within built up areas. � Animals are often grazed on un-owned fields. � Casual Car Parks are often not owned or registered! � Land occasionally used by Gypsies and Travellers is often unregistered. � Check out land that has no firm boundaries, neighbours may be currently using it as an extended garden or to park their car, caravan or boat � but they may not own it! The plots or properties could be: Run down Abandoned Derelict Overgrown Fields Rough car parking areas Terraced properties Garages Detached properties Semi-detached properties Old Commercial premises Farms Old shops Old industrial buildings Old public Toilets Often the gateways and driveways may be overgrown and provide difficult access, but persevere! Gather Information about your Find! You will need to complete form SIM (can be downloaded from the Land Registry website) and ask the Land Registry to perform a search on the site. There is no charge for this service providing that there is no more than 10 unregistered titles at the site (highly unusual) (in excess of 10 requires a fee of �4 per title). This general search will tell you if the title is Registered, Unregistered or has a pending application for first registration. 1. Registered � the land is registered however the owner could be deceased, unwanted or disowned and you may still be able to stake a claim. 2. Unregistered � no one has actually registered the land and you should stake your claim! 3. Pending First Application � there are a number of possible reasons for this but usually it will mean that someone else has beaten you to it and spotted the potential to claim the title. I would personally recommend that you do not proceed on this plot and now look for an alternative plot or property. What to do next Registered � If you decide to continue with this plot you now need to find out who the owner is. Complete form OC-1 and the Land Registry will supply you with the owner�s details and copies of the plan showing boundaries etc. The charge for this is �4 per document. However if you know where the boundaries are and only need the owners details complete form 313 (the charge is �4 for these details). Unregistered � the land could be unregistered for a number of reasons, for example: it may be unwanted as the owner may think it is worthless, they could have moved away, even emigrated and simply forgotten about it. They may have been left the land by a relative but not realise they own it. The owner may have died and have no living relatives. The plot may have been left to more than one person and they consider their share worthless. There are many reasons why plots and properties are left neglected and unregistered. Prior to claiming the land you still need to show that you have tried to trace the Legal Owner. Here are the ways that I personally found the most fruitful: � Ask the immediate neighbours if they know the owner. � Check the Electoral Role for details. � Speak to the local Post Office, Pub Landlord, Newsagents, Milkman and Vicar. � A good source of information can also be the local Old Age Pensioners clubs and the like! � A useful website to check out is tracetheowner.com (this is a private company who do charge for their services � this usually can be between �20 - �35 depending on how much information you have on the person you are attempting to trace - a small investment considering the possible rewards!) � If it is a property as opposed to a plot check out any old mail that may be there which could provide you with a name that may help jog memories when you are making enquiries. � If it seems that the owner has died you should check out the local Probate Registry Office, if the owner has died and either not left the land to anyone or that person has �forgotten� about it � you should stake your claim! It is important to do as much research prior to staking your claim to prevent an owner turning up after you take possession of the land or property! If the owner is still alive and has not moved out of the area it will be probable that they will challenge your adverse possession claim � it is probably worthwhile to scrap this plot and look for an alternative � there are so many around it is a better use of your valuable time! Possession is Nine Tenths of the Law��. The law as it stands says that if you have taken possession of a plot or property for an agreed period of time (currently 12 years for Unregistered land and 10 years for Registered land) ( but you can still IMMEDIATELY starting earning money from �your� plot or property) without any objection being raised by the owner or counter claimant. In the case of Unregistered land you may become the Registered owner with Possessory Freehold Title. In the case of Registered land after the 10 year period you would be granted transfer of title.     |
| The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Bundy For This Useful Post: | ||
deltron3020 (01-11-2009),
Jay10 (01-09-2009)
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11-13-2008, 08:57 PM
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Hey thanks for this info on how to claim free land and property in the UK.
I bought a guide of ebay no better than this for about ?10 ages ago and to be honest felt quite conned. Nice to be able to get it all free 
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11-13-2008, 09:24 PM
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Thank you for a great informative posting. one to be taken seriously. i will study this information and perhaps even start on the road of finding some land or a property. again a big thank you.
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11-13-2008, 09:35 PM
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thanks for the information. We have pretty much followed all of the above advice. We fenced off a small piece of unused land adjacent to our property and now we are being told by the Planning Department that as it is a change of use from open space to residential garden, we have to remove the fence. Is there any way round this?
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11-14-2008, 01:59 PM
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Hi, I've recently just seen a place which seems to be a bit run down especially from the outside, basically there is cobwebs on the house, rubbish in the garden and no curtains on the top windows, I've done some basic research on the address on the two sites, it comes up as "freehold", however I've found out that this place used to be a former mental health activity centre, which seems to have moved from that address(or maybe still at that address, but from the looks of it doubt it), but the centre seemed according to news reports had quite a lot of money owed to the council. And 3 years ago was planned to be demolished.
If there is no one there and I can't contact the owner , could it be possible that I could claim it as my own? |
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11-14-2008, 02:33 PM
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Nice, any idea of how much this process will cost.
I know of lots of places that could be of intrest, think ill take some time out (after this hangover goes) to research in to this, thanks. |
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01-09-2009, 02:59 AM
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Re: free houses / land
Just like to say I love your article on claiming land / houses Bundy, are there any other pieces of literature that you can recommend reading that can add to the info you have already given..thanks
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