Buying and selling farms and estates

Whether you are buying a farm or looking to sell, you want to make sure that you have considered every aspect to avoid any nasty surprises in the future.

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A full end-to-end service

Our team work closely with you to understand your situation and your objectives.

We make the purchase or sale process as smooth and streamlined as possible. Our team covers a range of disciplines to guide you through every stage, including:

  • The acquisition and disposal of agricultural land and property
  • Secured lending
  • Easements and covenants
  • Advice regarding tenancies, including Farm Business Tenancies and Agricultural Holdings Act tenancies
  • Strategic and development land, including option agreements, promotion agreements, conditional contracts and overage agreements
  • Estate planning
  • First registrations
  • General advice to rural landowners
Meet the team

Our specialist lawyers

Angus Williams RWK Goodman

Angus Williams

Partner | Head of Residential Property, Farms and Estate team | Agricultural team.
T: 01225 730 260 (DDI)
T: 01225 730 100
Email
Read more about Angus Williams
Read more about Rebecca Gillard
Read more about Hollie Lilley
Read more about Alice Newsome
Read more about Kimberley Mayne
Our services

Discover our other services in agriculture and rural business

Agriculture & rural business

Our team has a long heritage of working with farmers, rural landowners and farming businesses, providing expert support to maximise revenues and operate the business successfully.

Family Partnerships

You may want to transfer control of your farm or estate over to a family member. A family partnership lets you share or transfer control slowly, so the new owner has time to learn the ropes.
legal insights

Insights from our team

Opinion  |  06:11:24
Agricultural Ties and Certificates of Lawfulness explained
An agricultural tie, also known as an Agricultural Occupancy Condition, is a planning condition which restricts the use of a residential property to use by an agricultural worker or their relatives. It will be attached to the planning permission which authorised the erection of the dwelling in question.
Opinion  |  17:07:20
Bat boxes and boreholes – how a wildlife survey blocked a housing development
In a case keenly watched by the agricultural sector, a planned housing development on a farm in south Wales may not be able to proceed due to the developer being unable to undertake wildlife surveys. A ruling that has significant implications for both landowners and agricultural tenants.
Opinion  |  06:02:20
Promotion Agreements – 10 things for landowners to think about
Promoters have become an established part of the world of development. By entering into an agreement (known as a Promotion Agreement) with them landowners can use the skill, knowledge and funds of an experienced developer to obtain planning permission for their land, even if not currently earmarked for development.
Opinion  |  14:06:17
Firming up ‘handshake’ agreements – commercial lettings on farms and estates
It is common for landowners to agree to lease part of their property for non-agricultural purposes, most commonly for storage or lock ups. Often such agreements are simply “hand-shake” agreements made verbally or informally based on an established good relationship. A long commercial agreement will rarely be necessary in these circumstances but a straightforward lease can be useful to record the basics and avoid disputes.
Opinion  |  15:09:16
Why you should register your property with the Land Registry
Alice Newsome, solicitor in our Residential Property, Farms & Estates team discusses the benefits of registering your property with the Land Registry.
Opinion  |  01:07:15
Agri-news: Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) closes 10 July
While the application deadline of 15 June 2015 for the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) has now passed, it is possible to submit late BPS applications and to make changes to BPS applications until midnight on 10 July 2015.
Opinion  |  20:03:15
Conservation covenants – what do they mean?
Further recommendations have been made this month for the introduction of a new statutory scheme for conservation covenants in England and Wales.
Opinion  |  05:03:15
Protecting your legacy: pre-nuptial agreement or Will?
A recent case where a farmer had not made a Will had enormous repercussions for his family trying to protect his legacy many years after his death. Sharon MacDonald discusses the importance of Wills and pre-nuptial agreements especially in the agricultural community.
Opinion  |  04:03:15
Protecting your legacy: farms and proprietary estoppel claims
Recent court cases have highlighted an increasing trend of disputes relating to rights to inherit farmland. Given the publicity that inheritance disputes receive in the media and given the increasing value of farmland, it would appear that these disputes will continue to affect farm owners for many years to come.

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