A TO Z

A is for the county of Avon and Acre

The acre is a unit of land area used in the imperial and US customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one chain by one furlong (66 by 660 feet), which is exactly equal to 10 square chains, ​¹⁄₆₄₀ of a square mile, or 43,560 square feet, and approximately 4,047 m², or about 40% of a hectare. Based upon the International yard and pound agreement of 1959, an acre may be declared as exactly 4,046.8564224 square metres. One recognised symbol for the acre is ac,^[1] but the word "acre" is also used as the symbol

B Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Brighton and Hove, Bristol and Buckinghamshire

The word building is both a noun and a verb: the structure itself and the act of making it. As a noun, a building is 'a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place';^[1] "there was a three-storey building on the corner"; "it was an imposing edifice". In the broadest interpretation a fence or wall is a building.^[2] However, the word structure is used more broadly than building including natural and man-made formations^[3] and does not necessarily have walls. Structure is more likely to be used for a fence. Sturgis' Dictionary included that "[building] differs from architecture in excluding all idea of artistic treatment; and it differs from construction in the idea of excluding scientific or highly skilful treatment."^[4] As a verb, building is the act of construction.
Structural height in technical usage is the height to the highest architectural detail on building from street-level. Depending on how they are classified, spires and masts may or may not be included in this height. Spires and masts used as antennas are not generally included. The definition of a low-rise vs. a high-rise building is a matter of debate, but generally three storeys or less is considered low-rise.^[5]
C is for Cambridgeshire , Cheshire, Cleveland, Cornawll, Cumberland, Cumbria
Conveyancing
In law, conveyancing is the transfer of legal title of real property from one person to another, or the granting of an encumbrance such as a mortgage or a lien.^[1] A typical conveyancing transaction has two major phases: the exchange of contracts (when equitable interests are created) and completion (also called settlement, when legal title passes and equitable rights merge with the legal title).
The sale of land is governed by the laws and practices of the jurisdiction in which the land is located. It is a legal requirement in all jurisdictions that contracts for the sale of land be in writing. An exchange of contracts involves two copies of a contract of sale being signed, one copy of which is retained by each party. When the parties are together, both would usually sign both copies, one copy of which being retained by each party, sometimes with a formal handing over of a copy from one party to the other. However, it is usually sufficient that only the copy retained by each party be signed by the other party only — hence contracts are "exchanged". This rule enables contracts to be "exchanged" by mail. Both copies of the contract of sale become binding only after each party is in possession of a copy of the contract signed by the other party—i.e., the exchange is said to be "complete". An exchange by electronic means is generally insufficient for an exchange, unless the laws of the jurisdiction expressly validate such signatures.
It is the responsibility of the buyer of real property to ensure that he or she obtains a good and marketable title to the land—i.e., that the seller is the owner, has the right to sell the property, and there is no factor which would impede a mortgage or re-sale. Some jurisdictions have legislated some protections for the buyer, besides the ability for the buyer to do searches relating to the property.
A system of conveyancing is usually designed to ensure that the buyer secures title to the land together with all the rights that run with the land, and is notified of any restrictions in advance of purchase. Many jurisdictions have adopted a system of land registration to facilitate conveyancing and encourage reliance on public records and assure purchasers of land that they are taking good title
D is for Derbyshire, Devon and Dorset

Development of real estate

 is a business process, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re-lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw land and the sale of developed land or parcels to others. Real estate developers are the people and companies who coordinate all of these activities, converting ideas from paper to real property.^[1] Real estate development is different from construction, although many developers also manage the construction process.
Developers buy land, finance real estate deals, build or have builders build projects, create, imagine, control, and orchestrate the process of development from the beginning to end.^[2] Developers usually take the greatest risk in the creation or renovation of real estate—and receive the greatest rewards. Typically, developers purchase a tract of land, determine the marketing of the property, develop the building program and design, obtain the necessary public approval and financing, build the structures, and rent out, manage, and ultimately sell it.^[1]
Sometimes property developers will only undertake part of the process. For example, some developers source a property and get the plans and permits approved before selling the property with the plans and permits to a builder at a premium price. Alternatively, a developer that is also a builder may purchase a property with the plans and permits in place so that they do not have the risk of failing to obtain planning approval and can start construction on the development immediately.
Developers work with many different counterparts along each step of this process, including architects, city planners, engineers, surveyors, inspectors, contractors, lawyers, leasing agents, etc. In the Town and Country Planning context in the United Kingdom, 'development' is defined in the Town and Country Planning Act 1990

E is for East Sussex, Essex and East Suffolk

EPC Energy performance certificate

An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) provides potential buyers and tenants with an indication of the energy efficiency of a property. The certificate will contain information about the property's typical energy costs and will recommend ways to reduce energy use to make the property more energy efficient.

G is for Gloucestershire, Greater London, Greater Manchester

Ground survey

Ground surveys are a preliminary first step in gathering critical information that can be used in developing a pipeline proposal. ... Ground surveys are performed in areas where new pipeline facilities are being considered. In some cases, these surveys are conducted adjacent to existing pipeline corridors.

H is for Hampshire , Hereford and Worcester, Herefordshire, Hertfordshire, Humberside, Huntingdon and Peterborough, Huntingdonshire.

House 1 : a building that serves as living quarters for one or a few families : home invited them to her house for dinner a two-family house. 2a(1) : a shelter or refuge (such as a nest or den) of a wild animal.

I is for Isle of Ely, Isle of wight

Identity certified

What identification can I use? The certification process: A 'certified copy' is a copy of an original document such as a birth certificate, marriage certificate or proof of identity that has been authorised (or stamped) as bein

Buying and selling a house with subsidence

Few things strike as much fear into buyers and sellers alike as subsidence. Who would buy a property that was at risk of structural collapse? And if you are a seller, the nagging question that keeps you awake at night: should you buy a house if the tell-tale signs of subsidence are going to be revealed when the property is surveyed? The good news is that, although subsidence can certainly be a serious problem, it need not be an out-and-out deal-breaker. Most cases of subsidence are perfectly manageable and there are homeowners across the land who have happily lived for years in properties with a history of subsidence
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 “Thirty years ago, subsidence was widely seen as the kiss of death,” says Theresa O’Hara of James C Penny in Oxford. “But now, thanks to modern remedies for subsidence such as underpinning, it is less of a crisis. Properties with a history of subsidence are probably more likely to go to cash buyers than buyers with a mortgage as some lenders can get twitchy, but they change hands on a regular basis.” This new mini guide contains top tips on buying and selling a house with subsidence. Sellers Selling a subsidence property If your property has a history of subsidence you will not be able to conceal the fact from prospective buyers, so don’t even think along those lines.

Full disclosure is the best policy and, as you would do if your property had had problems with damp in the past, you will need to satisfy prospective buyers that you have dealt with the problem satisfactorily. Subsidence causes Subsidence occurs when the ground on which a property is built shifts for some reason. Perhaps a long dry spell has caused the water table to drop. Perhaps the soil has been disturbed by the roots of trees. Or perhaps a broken drainpipe has caused the soil to be washed away from the foundations. How to spot subsidence The first effects of subsidence will start to become physically visible in the form of new and expanding cracks in plasterwork or exterior brickwork.

Other tell-tale signs may include wallpaper ripping or doors or windows sticking. What can you do? If you suspect subsidence, particularly if you are planning to put your property on the market, you need to take remedial action. The first step is to get a chartered surveyor to assess the situation. Be warned that this can sometimes be a laborious process involving measuring and monitoring small cracks over a period of months, if not years. Then, if subsidence is confirmed, the cause of the subsidence – often a tree close to the property – may need to be removed or dealt with. How about underpinning? In extreme cases, it can sometimes prove necessary to underpin the foundations of an entire property – which can be a lengthy and expensive process, costing anything up to £50,000. Most insurance policies offer protection against works needed to deal with subsidence but there is usually a policy excess which you will be required to meet yourself.

 What next? It is obviously essential to keep documentary proof of any works that have been carried out along with any relevant guarantees. That way, you will be able to put your property on the market with the confidence that past episodes of subsidence will not count against you. Buyers Much of the advice pertinent to homeowners who have had to deal with subsidence in their property also applies to buyers.

 Surveys and mortgages It is always sensible, particularly in the case of older properties, to have a full structural survey carried out before putting in an offer, rather than a more basic survey which some mortgage-lenders require. Costings If a survey suggests that there may be a subsidence problem then you need to take action. Get any necessary remedial works costed and be prepared to reduce your offer to take account of them – sensible sellers will fully understand. Is there a history of subsidence? The other thing of which buyers need to be aware, in the case of properties with a known history of subsidence, is that they can be hard to insure. A lot of insurers will not insure a property which has had to be underpinned in the past.

Those that do are likely to charge higher than average premiums and expect you to pay a higher excess in the case of any future claims. Insurance It may also be a condition of your insurance policy – and a sensible thing to do anyway – that you take advice from a specialist tree surgeon on the management of any trees in the vicinity of the property that may be a potential cause of subsidence. Any other tips? Last but not least, you may be happy to buy a property where there have been subsidence issues in the past, but when you come to move house, you may find that other buyers are more cautious and the property is that much harder to sell. With these caveats it is important to keep the threat of subsidence in proportion.

Few properties are perfect and there will always be wear-and-tear issues with older houses. And even if the roots of that lovely copper beech in the next-door garden need watching (in case they trigger subsidence) it is still a lovely copper beech. Whether you are selling or buying, the key thing is to be pragmatic in the way you deal with the problem. Since the dawn of time the land beneath people’s feet has never been quite as rock-solid as they would ideally like. But keep a cool head, take sensible precautions and there is no reason why subsidence should wreck your dream of home ownership.

First time buyers and what help and issues they face

First time buyers and what help and issues they face, firstly a lot depends on location off were the first time buyer wants to buy their first property. I have been in the mortgage industry since 1999 and currently run an online conveyancing portal and I am based in the Greater London area in the early days of my mortgage career first time buyers made up 40% of all the cases that came in for a mortgage and at that time property prices were much more agreeable to fit the first time buyers income at the time. Currently my mainstream business is running an online conveyancing portal and introducing mortgages to a broker friend, the percentage of first time buyers I now get is less than 4 percent in the Greater London area, this is mostly due to the extremely high price of properties in the Greater London Area making it difficult or totally impossible for first time buyer to get on the property ladder in Greater London.

As the conveyancing portal covers the whole of England and Wales, I get a good proportion of first time buyer cases in Wales and Northern England this is due to the Income to property price ratio being far more agreeable. When talking to the brokers in Greater London they actually fear the possibility of trying to help a first time buyer buy a property in Greater London as a lot of first time buyer’s that approach them have no Idea of how a current mortgage works so a lot of time is spent educating them how mortgages need to go through tough affordability calculators only to find out they have an income or a joint income that does not get anywhere near qualifying for a mortgage for the property they want to buy . 99% of the brokers and estate agents who use my portal focus their efforts on home movers and buy to let investors as these are the people that have more chance of getting through the mortgage process
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On the flip side of the issue in Greater London I still get APX 40% of first time buyers from Welsh and Northern Agents and mortgage brokers buying properties in the 70 to £150k pricing range. One of my northern based Solicitors invited me to a clay pigeon shooting day in a village near Oldham, there was a selection of Northern brokers and Estate agents and even a northern Property developer. When speaking to them I learnt that none of them suffered the issues we have in the Home Counties around London or London it’s self. The estate agent said they were getting a healthy amount of first time buyers through the door and were getting properties completed with them to a decent degree. The mortgage brokers were positive about them and didn’t fear them and actually welcomed them through the door as in a vast majority of cases income fit the property they wanted to buy. The property developer actually had a good marketing scheme for first time buyers and didn’t see an issue with them.
First time buyer can get some help from govt schemes https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/articles/help-to-buy-scheme-everything-you-need-to-know

Parents can help their children https://www.moneysupermarket.com/mortgages/guarantor-mortgages/