Reporting to Clients on Key Title Issues - A Guide for Property Lawyers

Introduction

With smartphones and the internet, the way the public get information has changed more in the last 10 years than since the invention of the printing press, but our reporting to clients has changed very little in the last 50 years.

Often, we do reports to 'cover our backs' rather than attempt to put the client in a position where they can make meaningful assessments of the particular risk identified.

This in-person course will look at how to report to your clients on the key issues in an effective and understandable way. This will lead to better informed clients, and fewer complaints. We will look at how to communicate effectively with clients, how to help them understand 'risk' and how they can make appropriate judgements on the response to take to a particular issue.

We will then look at the top issues that clients may struggle with and give suggestions for reporting on the issues.

This in-depth 5-hour in-person course is suitable for both residential and commercial property practitioners and applies to all sizes of firms.

What You Will Learn

This course will cover the following:

• Boundaries and plans - the myth of the Land Registry red line
• Squatter’s rights
• The importance of checking rights and easements/rights to light
• Planning permissions
• Joint ownership and severance
• Road adoption and liabilities
• Restrictive covenants
• Environmental risk & the possibly misleading nature of a 'clear environmental search'
• SDLT/LTT - the most complex property tax in the world?
• Uses and abuses of title insurance products, and your regulatory requirements