How To Purchase Property

Conducting Searches

A property you want to purchase may have gone through several ownership changes and the land on which the property is built may have gone through even more.

Consequently, it is possible to have a weak link at a point in that chain that could cause trouble. For example, somebody along the way may have avoided taxes or another may have signed a document on behalf of a person or even forged a signature. This may require investigation.

There are many reasons why it is necessary to investigate a title before purchase of a property. Unfortunately, what happens is that many clients are not ready to pay much for the services of a legal practitioner so they prefer to consult a solicitor only for the preparation of documents that transfer the title.

As the name suggests, investigation of title involves anything and everything that will reveal any defects in a property to be purchased. It is usually the practice that as soon as the purchaser receives the distract/epitome, he should proceed to verify the authenticity and genuineness of the documents relied on by the vender to establish his title.

The nature of some of the documents are likely to be found at the Land Registry.

The common hazards to watch out for at the Registry are forgery or inconsistent signature, faulty plans, defects arising from double sale etc.

It is important to engage the services of a solicitor whenever one wants to purchase a property.