Has anyone bought land from a neighbour?

[IamwhoIsayIam]

I'm looking to buy a tiny piece of land from my neighbour - probably no more than 1m x 1m square - its right opposite my kitchen window, it will square off my plot.

Neighbours are happy to sell as it is nearer our house than theirs and they never use it. Can we buy/sell and update our deeds and land registry without use of solicitors? Has anyone done this?

Legal costs would end up more than the value of the land.

Thanks @LT1982 - any idea what Santander are like?

@scaredysquiggle as are sale is dependent on this the LR should expedite it within 10 days. But that’s not to say requisitions might not come back. Was the DX1 with the land registry for 7 months or with the lender for 7 months?

I find Santander one of the easier lenders to deal with and you can actually phone and have a conversation with a real person which is always a massive help

PS Land Registry start looking at expedited applications within 10 days- no guarantee they will complete it in that time.

PS it's not a DS1 you will be getting it's a DS3 to release part of the seller's mortgage

Thanks @LT1982 the solicitors are sorting all the forms and the stuff with the lender. Just need it all sorted before our sale can go through and the longer it takes the bigger risk to the chain collapsing!

Solicitors like to make people think that the law is super complicated because they make money from it! There are some things that you certainly do need legal advice for but this is not one of them. Provided the consideration (price) is below £6000 there should be no issues legally. The only part I can see being tricky is demonstrating exactly which bit of land you are purchasing - I’d imagine you would need to provide drawings showing the new boundary at the very least. I’m sure the relevant information can be found with a quick Google search!

Oh how I wish I had known a quick Google search can do my job before I spent 3 years at university plus further training.

Legal advice is not the only reason a conveyancer is required for property transactions. Fraud prevention, compliance, acting for lenders and removing mortgages from land are all things people can't do via "a quick Google search". A fully HM Land Registry compliant plan is required in order for the accuracy of boundaries and to ensure registration is completed. It's not simply a "drawing".

I wouldn't make patronising comments about other professions or try and advise people on matters that I'm not qualified or experienced in so your arrogance is actually astounding (especially given that your "advice" is wrong)

It isn't work ethic, it's staff shortages. If you want that sorting out, the ballot box is the way to go.

Seconded, and I'm not a lawyer, either.
I think anything to do with land ownership needs to be done by a professional, unless you want to risk problems in the future. It costs something, but a lot less than losing out on a house purchase/sale because the paperwork is a dog's breakfast due to you not knowing there was something special about the land in some way, or even just making an honest mistake somewhere in the paperwork.