Real Estate Law and Property Transactions: Title, Off-Plan Sales, Leases and Disputes – London, 5–9 Jul 2027

Programme overview

Introduction:

Property deals fail in court more often than in the market: a defective title surfaces after completion, an unrecorded easement blocks access, off-plan buyer money leaves escrow too early, or a lease cannot be enforced against a defaulting tenant. This Core Concept course in real estate law and property transactions gives legal, compliance and brokerage teams a working method for reading title, testing a sale file, drafting enforceable terms and resolving property disputes. Participants produce a Property Transaction Legal Due Diligence Report and Title Risk Register for a disputed mixed-use acquisition.

Course Objectives:

• Classify ownership rights, estates and third-party interests in land and explain how each is created, transferred and extinguished
• Verify title under deeds-registration and title-by-registration systems and trace priority between competing registered and unregistered interests
• Conduct legal due diligence on a property sale and draft protective terms in sale and purchase agreements, including conditions, warranties and completion mechanics
• Apply legal controls to off-plan sales, escrow account releases, brokerage mandates and jointly owned buildings to protect buyers, developers and intermediaries
• Assess lease enforceability, rent recovery and lawful eviction routes and anticipate the transaction tax consequences of a property transfer
• Select a dispute resolution route for a property conflict and prepare a legal due diligence report and title risk register that supports a transaction decision

Target Audience:

• In-house legal staff who advise on property acquisitions, disposals and leasing
• Compliance teams in developers who control off-plan sales, escrow and buyer contracts
• Brokerage managers who supervise agency mandates, listings and client money
• Property and portfolio managers who handle tenant defaults, recoveries and eviction files
• Contract and conveyancing staff who prepare sale files and registration submissions
• Owners association and community managers who apply governing rules in jointly owned buildings

Course Outline:

Day 1: Property Rights, Estates and Interests in Land

• Bundle of Rights Model: Use, Exclusion, Transfer and Encumbrance
• Freehold, Leasehold and Life Interest Estates Compared
• Registered Charges, Mortgages and Liens as Third-Party Interests
• Co-Ownership Forms: Joint Tenancy, Tenancy in Common and Inheritance Shares
• Land Use Zoning, Building Permits and Expropriation Principles

Day 2: Registration and Title Systems, Easements and Jointly Owned Property

• Deeds Registration Versus the Torrens Title-by-Registration System
• Title Search Procedure, Chain of Title and Priority Rules
• Easement Creation: Express Grant, Implication, Necessity and Prescription
• Strata Title Structure: Unit Entitlement, Common Property and Registered By-Laws
• Owners Association Legal Powers, Levy Enforcement and Voting Thresholds

Day 3: Sale and Purchase Agreements, Due Diligence and Brokerage

• Legal Due Diligence Checklist: Title, Encumbrances, Permits and Occupancy
• Sale and Purchase Agreement Clauses: Conditions Precedent, Warranties and Completion
• Deposit, Transfer of Risk and Registration of Transfer Procedure
• Brokerage Licensing, Agency Mandate Terms and Commission Entitlement
• Transaction Tax Overview: Transfer Tax, Value-Added Tax and Registration Fees

Day 4: Off-Plan Sales, Escrow, Leasing Disputes and Enforcement

• Off-Plan Sale Contract Terms: Payment Milestones, Delay and Specification Change
• Escrow Account Structure, Milestone Release Controls and Buyer Refund Triggers
• Lease Contract Enforceability: Registration, Rent Increase Limits and Renewal Rights
• Rent Arrears Recovery and Lawful Eviction Procedure with Notice Requirements
• Property Dispute Resolution Routes: Negotiation, Mediation, Arbitration and Specialist Courts

Day 5: Case Study: Legal Due Diligence Report and Title Risk Register

• Case Pack Review: Disputed Mixed-Use Acquisition with Off-Plan Units
• Title Defect and Encumbrance Findings Log
• Protective Clause Redraft for the Sale and Purchase Agreement
• Title Risk Register with Likelihood, Impact and Legal Remedy
• Due Diligence Report Presentation and Legal Panel Challenge

Skills You Will Gain:

• Title Verification
• Encumbrance Analysis
• Easement Rights Assessment
• Sale Agreement Drafting
• Escrow Release Control
• Lease Enforcement
• Brokerage Mandate Review
• Property Dispute Strategy

Why Attend This Course:

• Return with a Property Transaction Legal Due Diligence Report and Title Risk Register tested against a disputed acquisition case
• Spot the title defects, hidden easements and unregistered interests that derail completion before money changes hands
• Protect buyer payments and developer cash flow with escrow release controls and off-plan terms that hold up under challenge
• Compare real estate law practice with peers from developers, brokerages, landlords and law departments across residential and commercial property

Conclusion:

Property transactions stand or fall on the strength of title, the clarity of contract terms and the route available when a party defaults. The course moves from ownership rights and estates, through registration systems, easements and jointly owned property, to sale agreements, due diligence, brokerage and transaction taxes, then to off-plan sales, escrow, lease enforcement and dispute resolution. The final day applies these rules to a disputed acquisition and produces a Property Transaction Legal Due Diligence Report and Title Risk Register ready for the next deal.