I have just discovered that the house I bought three years ago has subsidence. We had a full survey carried out before we bought and this was not spotted. I am insured but will have to pay a hefty excess for the repairs. Can I make a claim against anyone for this oversight?

YOU need to obtain an independent report from a Building Surveyor or Structural Engineer to establish whether or not the problem existed at the time you bought. A building surveyor will advise as to whether or not your surveyor should have identified any tell-tale signs that should have been picked up in an ordinary homebuyers or structural survey. If the Report is favourable, then you may have a claim against your surveyor for professional negligence. You should seek the advice of a solicitor specialising in professional negligence. You should also investigate the possibility of the problem being covered by your building’s insurance policy as this may be an easier and more direct way of recovering the cost of the remedial works. In the event of a successful insurance claim, you may still have the right to claim any uninsured losses direct from your surveyor, such as any excess, should you be able to prove negligence. As with all such litigation the cost of pursuing it must be weighed up against the overall cost of the works.

I am considering buying a boat, but the only place I can keep it during the winter months is in the front garden in full view of the neighbours.  Will I need Planning Permission for this?

The first thing you need to establish is whether your property is subject to any restrictive covenant preventing you from placing or storing a boat on your property.  Many properties are subject to covenants or restrictions preventing the storing of anything other than domestic vehicles on their properties.

Planning Permission is not mandatory in such circumstances, but you will be well advised to check with the local authority planning department first in order to ensure there is no objection. If you can fence around the area where the boat will be stored then this very often helps in appeasing the neighbours, who can see that you are making efforts to consider them by screening what many may regard as an eyesore.

As with all potential planning related issues it would be courteous to discuss this with your neighbours to establish that they have no objection to your storing the boat on your property. Even if there was a restriction on the title preventing you from doing so, it is less likely to be enforced if you have the support and backing of your neighbours.  After all, breaches of covenant are often raised directly as a result of objections received from neighbours who are often subject to similar restrictions.

There is a small plot of wasteland at the side of my house which I would like to buy to extend my plot.  I have asked around but no-one seems to know who owns it.  How do I find out who the owner is? 

This is a very common problem.  While the majority of land throughout England and Wales continues to become registered land with details registered at HM Land Registry, numerous pieces and parcels of land (many where ownership simply is not known) remain unregistered.

With unknown parcels of waste land it is often difficult to identify the actual owner. You can make enquiries either direct through your solicitor or direct to the Land Registry to establish whether the land is registered. If it is, then identifying the owner is a relatively simple process as you simply obtain a copy of the title which will identify the name and address of the proprietor. If the search shows the land is unregistered, then it is very difficult to establish who the true owner is, particularly if enquiries in the immediate locality prove unsuccessful.

You are, therefore, left with the prospect of having to take steps to claim the land as yours. This will involve initially ensuring that the land is enclosed within your own property in order that you may show that you have enjoyed uninterrupted occupation of the land. You will need to swear a Statutory Declaration evidencing the period during which the land has been occupied solely by you without any interruption or claim from the rightful owner. You can apply to the Land Registry for Possessory Title to the land based on appropriate evidence in support.

If, however, at some time in the future the true owner lays claim to the land then the Land Registration Act 2003 makes it easier for the lawful owner to do so upon production of proof of title – despite the fact that you may have occupied the land for the previous 10 years or so.