As a one-stop seller, we understand that it’s not just a property you’re buying - it’s your home or commercial space. That’s why unlike other platforms, we take a personalised approach, from the moment we receive your initial enquiry to the day you move in.
Whether you’re buying your first home or are an existing homeowner looking for a better deal, we aim to do things differently. We give you some insights into the very basic concepts of buying property in the UK and some of the pitfalls that potential purchasers (UK-residents and Non-Residents) should consider before signing on the dotted line.
BASIC RELEVANT KNOWLEDGE
Having a little bit of knowledge about the United Kingdom system of property ownership and carrying out due diligence can help avoid higher than necessary costs and ensure that the resale value of the investment is not detrimentally affected when you intend to sell.
The Property Portfolio Builder (PPB) has a wealth of knowledge and experience of dealing with property related issues and provided qualified advice to potential property purchasers to help ensure that any of the pitfalls of property ownership can be avoided.
BUYING PROPERTY IN THE UK
Buying a property in the UK for either personal occupation or investment or has been a popular choice for many decades. With a mix of new state of the art high rise apartments and more traditional and, some say, quaint homes and cottages of varying types, styles and sizes, the UK housing market has something for everyone. The United Kingdom also has over seventy cities, well over a thousand towns and countless villages to choose from.
While there are currently issues with the UK economy owing to the Covid Pandemic, the overall outlook for the UK economy is good and it still has some of the most renowned Universities in the world.
THE RULE OF LAW IS THE BASIS OF ALL UK PROPERTY OWNERSHIP
The law and procedures relating to buying property in the UK is very well established with centuries of common and statutory law giving confidence to purchasers, investors, and developers alike.
Eighty Seven percent of the legal ownership of property in England & Wales, known as “Title” documents are registered on a central publicly available database (HM Land Registry). However, while the legal systems around the world are similar to those of the United Kingdom, there are some distinct differences with regard to the purchase and ownership of property, especially where these relate to the costs of maintenance and most importantly who is legally responsible to carry out and pay for such repairs.
There are some slight differences to the legal systems in Scotland and Northern Ireland which are part of the United Kingdom, but these specific nuances fall outside the scope of this article.
HOUSES
By far the most common type of property in the UK are houses. Many of these were constructed in the late nineteenth and twentieth century and come in a mix of types such as detached (standalone), Semi Detached (sharing one wall with an adjoining property) or terraced (a row of joined properties).
The majority of such houses tend to be two storey, offering living accommodation, kitchen and dining rooms on the ground floor and sleeping accommodation and sanitary facilities on the first floor. Many such properties also have gardens of various sizes.
Typically, the Title for such a property would be known as Freehold, although there are some exceptions. Freehold title in essence means that the title holder owns the entire property forever. There is no time limit. Subject to complying with legislation relating to development, the Freeholder can alter and maintain their property as they wish.
This means that the title holder is fully responsible for all the maintenance and decoration of the building, fences, and site generally.
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