Overview
Our free Property Practice notes cover everything you need to know for the Solicitors' Qualifying Exam (SQE). From property transactions and title investigations to lease terms and landlords' remedies, we've got you covered. Whether you're in a classroom or taking the self-study route, these notes provide added peace of mind, knowing that you have everything you need to help consolidate and revise effectively for the SQE1 exam. Think something could be better? Give us a shout on our contact page, and we'll take a look.
We've created comprehensive study guides for all SQE1 FLK1 and FLK2 topics. Check out our other free notes below:
FLK1
FLK2
- Criminal Law and Practice
- Land Law
- Property Practice
- Solicitors Accounts
- Trusts
- Wills and the Administration of Estates
1. Introduction to Property Transactions
- Key elements and structure of freehold and leasehold property transactions
- Differences between residential and commercial transactions
- Stages of a property transaction
2. Investigation of Title
- Registered and unregistered titles
- Analyzing Land Registry official copy entries
- Analyzing an epitome of title and deducing ownership
- Easements and restrictive covenants
- Positive covenants and their enforceability
- Mines and minerals reservations
- Co-ownership issues
- Mortgages and charges
- Notices and their implications
- Identifying and resolving title issues
- Purpose and process of reporting to the client
3. Pre-Contract Searches and Enquiries
- Range and purpose of searches and enquiries
- Local Land Charges Register searches
- Pre-contract enquiries of the seller
- Water and drainage enquiries
- Environmental searches
- Chancel repair searches
- Flood and mining searches
- Index map searches
- Personal inspection and survey reports
- Bankruptcy searches
- Who conducts searches and raises enquiries
- Interpreting and reporting search results
4. Progressing to Exchange of Contracts
- Law Society Conveyancing Protocol
- Finance and mortgages
- Sources of finance and types of mortgage
- Acting for a lender: requirements and certificates of title
- Timing for issuing certificates to lenders
- Contracts: Standard Conditions of Sale and Standard Commercial Property Conditions
- Special conditions in contracts
- Methods of holding a deposit (stakeholder, agent)
- Insurance and risk considerations
- VAT implications in property contracts
- Practice, method, and authority to exchange contracts
- Consequences of exchange
5. Pre-Completion Steps
- Form of transfer deed and execution formalities
- Pre-completion searches
- Pre-completion steps and checklists
6. Completion and Post-Completion Steps
- Methods and effect of completion
- Post-completion steps
- Registration at Land Registry
- Payment of Stamp Duty Land Tax or Land Transaction Tax
- Notifying relevant parties
7. Remedies for Delayed Completion
8. Leases and Underleases
- Structure and content of a lease
- Repair obligations
- Insurance provisions
- Alterations and improvements
- Use and planning permissions
- Rent and rent review mechanisms
- Alienation clauses (assignment, subletting)
- Options for the term of a lease
- Code for Leasing Business Premises
9. Granting a Lease or Underlease
- Drafting the lease
- Purpose of an agreement for lease
- Deduction of title by the landlord
- Pre-contract enquiries and searches
- Pre-completion formalities
- Completion and post-completion steps
10. Assignment of a Lease
- Deduction of title by the assignor
- Pre-contract enquiries and searches
- Obtaining landlord’s consent
- Deed of assignment and covenants for title
- Authorized guarantee agreements
- Pre-completion formalities
- Completion and post-completion steps
11. Leasehold Covenants and Issues
- Leases granted on or after 1 January 1996
- Leases granted before 1 January 1996
- Remedies for breach of leasehold covenants
- Termination of a lease
- Security of tenure under a business lease
12. Planning Law in Property Transactions
- Statutory definition of 'development'
- Matters not constituting development
- Matters not requiring express planning permission
- Building regulation control
- Obtaining planning permission
- Enforcement: time limits and local authority powers