Law of Immoveable Property and Conveyancing

Advocates & Solicitors Examination
Civil & Criminal Procedure
October 2007
ADVOCATES AND SOLICITORS
LAW OF IMMOVABLE PROPERTY AND CONVEYANCING
October 2009
Important Notes
1.
Please write legibly - unreadable papers may result in lost marks
2.
Your written paper will have to be photocopied so please:-


3.
Write in black ink
Write well within the reasonable margins i.e. 1" all round each page
Write your assigned number at the top left hand corner of each page and the
page number in the top right hand corner of each page (remembering to keep
within the photocopyable margins, i.e. 1" all round each page)
4.
Number your answers and start each new answer on a new page
5.
Write on one side of the paper only
6.
Section A - answer 3 questions.
Section B - answer 2 questions.
7.
All questions carry equal marks and each part of a sectioned question carries
equal marks unless the marks are indicated at the end of the section.
8.
Support your questions wherever possible by reference to statutory judicial or
other authority. Give reasons for your answers.
9.
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Time allowed: 3 hours.
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Advocates & Solicitors Examination
Civil & Criminal Procedure
October 2007
SECTION A
1.
(a)
What Jersey property may be the subject of a hypothec? (5 marks)
(b)
Your client wishes to transfer her house to her son in consideration
of the sum of £100,000, which should be secured against the house
as a loan and which loan your client intends to leave to her daughter
in her will of immovable estate, and the payment of an annual sum
of £20,000 for the remainder of her life, which should also be
secured somehow. Please advise your client. (15 marks)
2.
(a)
What information is a co-ownership declaration required to contain
and what constitutes a “lot” for the purposes of the Loi (1991) sur la
co-propriété des immeubles bâtis? (12 marks)
(b)
What restrictions are there upon the powers of the general
assembly of co-owners even if a majority of co-owners vote in
favour of the proposition? (8 marks)
3.
Advise your client in relation to the following matters:(a)
A wall, which is jointly owned with his neighbour, needs to be rebuilt
but the neighbour refuses to contribute because he says that the
roots of your client’s tree caused the damage.
(b)
Your client wants to build an extension against a wall, which is
owned by his neighbour, but against which he has a right to join, but
the extension will be higher than the wall.
(c)
Your client’s neighbour has an apple tree which overhangs your
client’s property and the neighbour has told him that he must not
damage his tree by cutting back the branches and that he must give
him back any apples that fall onto his property.
(d)
Your client’s neighbour has obtained planning permission to build
the gable of an extension on the same line as a wall, which is
owned by the neighbour, without offset. Your client is concerned
that the gable will block the evening sun in his garden and that the
window in the gable will overlook his garden.
4.
(a)
You are consulted by your client who has found a potential building
plot but, before expending any money on the project, he wants to
obtain an option to purchase the plot subject to obtaining planning
permission to build four houses. Advise your client upon the
enforceability of such an option.
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Advocates & Solicitors Examination
Civil & Criminal Procedure
October 2007
(b)
Your client and his two brothers have inherited the family home in
equal shares from their sole surviving parent. Your client has
always wanted to own and live in the family home but his brothers
have refused to sell their shares to him. Advise your client if there
any ways in which he might achieve his objective.
SECTION B
5.
You are consulted by a client who has just inherited a property known as
‘Whittington’ from her uncle and she wants to know the boundaries of the
property. Your researches show that the uncle purchased the property in 1990
and that the attached is an extract from the contract of purchase. Please
prepare a sketch plan of the property for your client.
6.
You are acting for a client who is purchasing a property in consideration of the
sum of £500,000 with the assistance of a loan from Jersey Bank Limited in the
capital sum of £350,000. You note that the following loans by the vendor are
secured against the property:(a)
£100,000 from HBC Plc secured by a simple conventional hypothec
on 29th June, 1990;
(b)
£75,000 from Capital Finance Limited secured by a judicial
hypothec on 22nd April 1994; and
(c)
£50,000 from HBC Plc secured by a judicial hypothec on 26th May
2000.
Please advise what professional undertakings will need to be given or obtained
in relation to the purchase and what action you would take to ensure that you
are able to honour any professional undertakings that you are obliged to give.
7.
You are acting for the purchaser of a property and receive a draft contract of
sale which states that the title of the vendor, John Pirouet, to the property is as
follows:‘The Purchaser was bound to conform to all the clauses, conditions and
restrictions to which the Vendor was subject for and on account of the Property,
to which he has right as devisee of the will of immovable estate of the late Jane
Pirouet, née Le Clerc, his mother, who died on 30th June 2009 and which will
was registered in the Public Registry by Act of the Royal Court dated 13th
August 2009, the said deceased having right by contract of gift dated 20th June
2008 from William Le Clerc, her father.’
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Advocates & Solicitors Examination
Civil & Criminal Procedure
October 2007
Considering only the terms of the above title extract, please advise what
questions you might ask of the lawyers acting for the vendor and what
precautions you might request in order to ensure that your client obtains a good
title to the property.
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Advocates & Solicitors Examination
Civil & Criminal Procedure
October 2007
Extract of the Contract of Purchase of
‘Whittington’
Premièrement, certaine maison appelée ‘Whittington’ et portant le numéro deux ‘Belle Vue
Villas’, avec le terrain à l’Ouest, au Nord et à l’Est de ladite maison, la mitoyenneté des
pignon et murs du Sud, droit de jointure contre les pignon et murs du Nord, et la propriété,
sans relief, des murs et piliers de l’Ouest et du mur de l’Est; le tout joignant par le Sud à
la propriété portant le numéro trois ‘Belle Vue Villas’ appartenant à Monsr. Colin Byron
Robinson et Dlle. Sandra Dawn Gillian Jaye, sa femme (ayant droit par acquêt héréditaire
par contrat en date du dix Juin, mil neuf cent quatre-vingt-huit, de Dlle. Elizabeth Tyson,
veuve de Monsr John Walton Pallister) et par le Nord à la propriété portant le numéro un
‘Belle Vue Villas’ appartenant à Monsr. James Edward Turmel et Dlle. July Ann Robinson,
sa femme (ayant droit par acquêt héréditaire par contrat en date du vingt-sept Mai, mil
neuf cent nonante-quatre, de Monsr Edward Toudic) et bordant par l’Ouest sur certain
chemin particulier de dix pieds royaux de laize dont le fonds appartient auxdits Sieur
Turmel et uxor et par l’Est sur le chemin public appelé ‘La Pouquelaye’.
Et secondement, certain jardin d’agrément situé à l’Ouest dudit chemin particulier et vis-àvis dudit héritage présentement vendu ci-dessus premièrement décrit, ledit jardin
d’agrément avec la propriété du banc d’arbustes de l’Ouest, la mitoyenneté de la
palissade en bois du Nord et la mitoyenneté, sans relief, des bornes du Sud; le tout
joignant par le Nord à certain jardin d’agrément appartenant auxdits Sieur Turmel et uxor
(ayant droit comme sus est dit), par l’Ouest à la propriété portant le numéro deux ‘Pen-yCraig Avenue’ appartenant à Monsr. Eric North (ayant droit tant par acquêt héréditaire
conjointement avec Dlle. Mavis Parr, autrefois sa femme, par contrat en date du vingt-sept
Août, mil neuf cent septante-six, de la Société à responsabilité limitée dite ‘Magnolia
Holdings Limited’ que par donation, cession et transport héréditaires de droits de propriété
par contrat en date du seize Décembre, mil neuf cent quatre-vingt-trois, de ladite Dlle.
Mavis Parr, autrefois sa femme) et par le Sud à certain jardin d’agrément appartenant
auxdits Sieur Robinson et uxor (ayant droit comme sus est dit), et bordant par l’Est sur
ledit chemin particulier de dix pieds royaux de laize ci-dessus mentionné.
Ledit héritage présentement vendu ci-dessus secondement décrit est séparé et délimité
par le côté du Sud d’icelui d’avec ledit jardin d’agrément appartenant auxdits Sieur
Robinson et uxor par le moyen de trois bornes plantées en ligne droite comme suit,
savoir:La première dans la carre Sud-Est dudit héritage présentement vendu ci-dessus
secondement décrit à dix pieds neuf pouces à l’Ouest, inclinant un peu vers le Sud, de la
carre Nord-Ouest du piler le plus Sud de deux piliers établis dans ledit mur de l’Ouest
dudit héritage présentement vendu ci-dessus premièrement décrit et quinze pieds trois
pouces au Sud-Ouest de la carre Sud-Ouest du pilier le plus Nord de deux piliers dans
ledit mur de l’Ouest dudit héritage présentement vendu ci-dessus premièrement décrit.
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Advocates & Solicitors Examination
Civil & Criminal Procedure
October 2007
La deuxième à quarante-cinq pieds deux pouces à l’Ouest de ladite première.
Et la troisième à septante-sept pieds quatre pouces à l’Ouest de ladite deuxième au pied
Est dudit banc d’arbustes de l’Ouest.
Toutes lesdites mesures étant en pieds royaux et prises en ligne droite.
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