Selling a property is usually quite straightforward. You put the property on the market and the buyer will purchase the property and all the land. But what about if you want to sell the property but keep the land? Is it possible? And what are your options for doing this?
SOLD.CO.UK investigates everything you need to know about selling your house and keeping the land.
Leasehold and Freehold
An option for selling the house but not the land is to create a new leasehold title from splitting a freehold title. This might be an option if you will be converting your house into flats (you would need to first get the relevant planning permission and comply with building regulations to do this).
Creating a New Leasehold Title
To create a new leasehold title, you will need to get Land Registry-compliant plans, so the new legal boundaries of the property can be officially recorded.
If you do this and then sell the leaseholds, you would remain the freeholder in possession of the land (unless you choose to also sell this on). As the freeholder, you can request yearly ground rent payments from the leaseholder/s. How much ground rent is required to be paid will need to be detailed in the lease, and you will have opportunities to review periodically.
If you’re looking to split your freehold title to a leasehold, it’s advised that you speak to an experienced property solicitor and surveyor. There are many things to consider when doing this and many regulations that will need to be adhered to.
If you are still paying your mortgage on your property, you will also need to first speak to your mortgage lender. They will need to give their consent before you split the title and create any leaseholds.
Selling for Relocation
Selling for relocation involves selling your property to a company that would relocate the structure somewhere else, whilst you would retain the land.
This is obviously not an option for all types of property. The structure would have to be assessed for its suitability to be transported. It can be a great solution if you own a mobile home and means you can save money on demolition costs if you want to use the land to build another property.
Selling the Property but Keeping Part of the Land
It might be that you want to sell your property and keep just part of the land. For example, if you have a lot of land, it might be possible to build another property a suitable distance away from the original property. You might want to sell the original property and retain part of your land to build a new home for yourself.
To do this, you would first need to obtain planning permission. If you are planning to build your new property after you have sold your original property, you may also need to get a written agreement from the buyer for permission to build and to ensure you have the required access for building works.
If you have a mortgage that has been secured on the entire property, you will also need to get permission from your mortgage lender. They will need to approve the land being split.
Again, it’s advised that you speak with a solicitor to get the right information for your specific situation and requirements.
If you’re looking to sell your property, online estate agents SOLD.CO.UK can help. We provide a fully-managed and completely free property selling service. We will ensure that your property reaches 98% of all active buyers and we can sell quicker than any other estate agent in the UK. Contact us for more information or get a free valuation today.
