Glossary

Sale and Leaseback

This is the process (or a scheme) that occurs when a person sells a property but then remains in it and pays rent to the new owner.

Scheduled Ancient Monument

A structure placed on a schedule compiled by the Department of National Heritage in England and Wales for protection under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979

SDLT

This is the abbreviation of Stamp Duty Land Tax. It is a tax which must be paid when a house is bought for ?125,000 or over.

Search Agent

This is one of our employees who visits a Local Authority and carries out our Personal Local Authority Searches for us. All of them are rigorously trained and become experts in their local areas.

Secondary Shopping Frontages

A retailing area. Secondary frontages provide greater opportunities for a diversity of uses

Section 104 Agreement

A legally binding agreement under section 104 of the Water industry Act 1991 between a developer and a water company which means the water company will adopt the sewers serving a development.

Section 106 Agreement

A binding legal agreement under section 106 of the 1990 Town & Country Planning Act between a council and a developer associated with a grant of planning permission and regarding matters linked to the proposed development.

Section 24 Sewers

Or otherwise known as sewers subject to an agreement under section 24 of the Public Health Act 1936. These are sewers that are shared by two or more properties which were built before 1st October 1937 and were therefore automatically adopted by the sewerage company.

Section 38 Agreement

A legally binding agreement under section 38 of the Highways Act 1980. Under this section the highway authority may enter into an agreement with a developer to adopt the roads.

Sellers Property Information Form

This is the document that is filled in by the seller for the benefit of the purchaser. It lists all sorts of useful information such as information on who is responsible for which boundary, which utility companies supply the property etc.

Septic Tank

This is a tank that collects sewerage from a property and is not connected to the public sewerage system.

Service Charge

This is the charge that a tenant may have to pay to maintain the common areas in a building that their property is in.

Site of Nature Conservation Importance (SNCI) or Site of Biological Interest (SBI)

Locally important sites of nature conservation adopted by local authorities for planning purposes. (See also Local Nature Reserve)

Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)

An SSSI is an area that has been notified as being of special interest under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

Smoke Control Order

These are orders, enforced by the Local Authority, designed to reduce air pollution in an area. They can also sometimes restrict residents from using solid fuel burning fires.

Soakaway

This is a man made chamber that is buried and evenly distributes the surface water from a property into the ground. If you have a soakaway you may be eligible for a rebate for any Surface Water Charges made by the Water Company.

Solicitor

A professional who practices Law.

Special Area of Conservation (SAC)

A site designated under the European Community Habitats Directive, to protect internationally important natural habitats and species.

Squatters

This is a person who is occupying a property without any legal right to do so.

Stamp Duty

This is tax which must be paid to HM Revenue and Customs when a house is bought for ?125,000 or over.

Stock Transfer Form

This is the form which documents the transfer of a tenant's share in a management company.

Strategic Employment Site

Coherent areas of land within the main industrial estates which are, in terms of environment, road access, location, parking and operating conditions, well suited for retention in industrial use.

Strategic Road

The highest level of the road network, made up of trunk roads, priority routes and designated roads.

Structural Survey

This is a survey of a property to ensure it is structurally sound. It must be carried out by a qualified surveyor and is often required by a Mortgage Lender.

Successors in Title

These are the future owners of the property. It is often referred to when dealing with insurance policies. For example all our Chancel Liability policies cover successors in title.

Surface Water Rebate

If rainwater from your property does not drain to the public sewerage system then you could be eligible for a rebate. To find out whether or not you could be eligible you could carry out one of our Private Water & Drainage searches which will tell you if there is a public surface water sewer in the vicinity of a property.