Cowboys R Us @ Bonanza Square

Anyone been down to the Planning Department at Bournemouth Borough Council lately?

Land Grabs

Well here’s another instalment on how to beat the corruption of ‘Land Grabs’.  This is where the local searches are not being carried out as they should be…The planning department is responsible for doing this along with the prospective buyer/developer.  This is only either a phone call away or by going online.

Think of this; you’ve bought your own home be it Leasehold (Owned Lease), or Freehold.  If you’re lucky enough to have lived there in excess of 12 years (consecutive) – you’re laughing!  Why? – easy, you now have the 12 year consecutive usage law on your side.  This translates as your right to use the land free from encumbrances to peaceably enjoy at your leisure…  You can put a blockade in to deny access – providing theirs has run out!  For under £10.00 you can go online and request an Office Copy of the Title Deeds.  This will tell you straight away whether there are any Covenants attached to the land in question.  There may well be other older Title Deeds to be found as well, of which you can research…?

Proof Of Claim

Providing you can prove, on demand, that you own the either the Lease, Freehold or have been using the land for this length of time – you can hold your hand out for the money.  In the long run it would be a lot cheaper for the developer to pay you off – or risk bankruptcy.  For example, not being able to sell said flats, not to be misunderstood as apartments (they have balconies) or property means the opposition can’t be signed off by the council.  Also, this then means that they will of then contravened current planning regulations due to non compliance…  What you are going for is time – them out of it.  This costs the other side and not you.

The Moral of the story…

Always look at the correspondence, is it signed and dated?  Also who has sent it?  Check to see if it has come from the opposition or the council…Check the Title Deeds and respective Leases.  Read these through thoroughly – you really are looking for the get out clauses.  Once found and identified don’t be afraid to use.  If it’s yours then fight for it!   What a lot of theses institutions are banking on is your lack of awareness or understanding of these matters.  They want you to be ignorant so as to be able to control you more easily, however the more people who know their rights the more difficult it becomes for them!

Happy hunting – I meant researching…

Images Courtesy Of:
Main Image / Field Image – Katarina 2353 [ Flickr] | Money Image – Scooch [Flickr]