Kerry Hodgson

Kerry is highly experienced in a range of conveyancing matters including getting first-time buyers on the property ladder and taking care of house moves, whether it be downsizing, upsizing, or adding to your property portfolio.

Kerry specialises in setting up small residential development sites, working with the developers, preparing the complex documentation required to ensure that the site is sold efficiently with all necessary rights, easements and covenants in place, and ensuring sales proceed efficiently and without delay.

Kerry is also an expert in acting for buyers of new build properties on larger developments. This a complex area that requires specialist consideration, especially with regard to lender’s requirements, road and sewerage agreements. These can include details relating to planning obligations and ensuring that management companies have been set up properly to manage the estate in the future. Kerry regularly sorts out issues on older developments where there has been a change in legislation. This can relate to service charge provisions, rent charges, and changing requirements from the lenders.

Kerry finds nothing more satisfying than successfully registering an unregistered property at the Land Registry or helping clients with claims for adverse possession of land to obtain the possessory title.

Notable Residential Property cases

• New Build
  

  Acting for a small developer of a green field site adjacent to their existing property. Kerry assisted by ensuring all the correct documentation was in place to enable a swift conveyancing process. Due to the nature of the estate, Kerry needed to ensure there were appropriate covenants in place for the maintenance of the common areas for parking and turning.

  She liaised with the surveyors, agents, and the Land Registry to ensure all plans and paperwork reflected the position on the ground. Kerry also made sure there would be no issues for the buyers to register their title, or management of any problems in the future.

  She advised her client on the new home warranty documentation, ensuring everything was in place for a successful sale.

• New Build
  

  Acting on behalf of the majority of the purchasers for an exciting five-year eco-development project in Cornwall in a previously heavily mined area. This involved ensuring all the appropriate rights were in place for the normal use and enjoyment of the property. Due to the non-standard nature of the build, close liaison with the clients’ lenders was essential.

• Deed of Variation
  

  Acting for a client in the purchase of a leasehold property. During the due diligence and title investigation process, Kerry discovered that the lease was defective and not compliant for mortgage lending purposes. It was necessary to negotiate with the seller’s solicitors and the landlord and then for a deed of variation to be drawn up to rectify the defects in the lease. This ensured that the client’s purchase could proceed and that they had a saleable and mortgageable title.

• New Build
  

  Handling the majority of purchases for several luxury seaside leasehold apartments redeveloped from an old hostel.

  This was an unusual development as planning permission for the change of use was required for the residential development. The building had many different previous uses which meant that extensive refurbishment work was required to develop the property into several high-end apartments.

  Kerry had to ensure that the new leases granted and reserved appropriate rights for the maintenance of the common areas and shared facilities, as well as meeting the minimum requirements for the lenders. Kerry also made sure appropriate provisions were in place for the correct running of the management company.

• Freehold Land - Sale
  

  Acting for the seller of some registered and unregistered land to a developer. Preparation of the contract pack involved preparing an Epitome of Title for the unregistered part of the land. Kerry also had to obtain a mining risk assessment, which included excavation work.

• Auction - Sale & Purchases
  

  Preparation of an auction pack for a probate sale. This was unusual because no one was available to provide the usual information required, which meant that special consideration and drafting was required to ensure the executors were protected in the event of anything untoward coming to light after the sale.