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Regulation 2 Interpretation – general provisions

Original text. Later amendments are not shown.

(1)

In these Regulations—

  • “the 2004 Act” means the Housing Act 2004;

  • “appropriate local land charges register” means the register described in section 4 of the Local Land Charges Act 1975f1;

  • “approved certification scheme” means a certification scheme approved by the Secretary of State under regulation 33 of these Regulations and from which such approval has not been withdrawn under regulation 35;

  • “the Chief Land Registrar” means the person appointed by the Lord Chancellor under section 99(3) of the Land Registration Act 2002f2;

  • “conservation area consent” means the consent described in section 74(1) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990f3;

  • “developer” means a person who has built, converted, or is building or converting the property;

  • “edited information document” means, where the Chief Land Registrar has designated a document an exempt information document, the edited copy of that document lodged under rule 136(2)(b) or 138(4) of the Land Registration Rules 2003f4;

  • “energy performance certificate” means the certificate required by Council Directive 2002/91/ECf5 whose form and content complies with any enactment which implements that Directive;

  • “exempt information document” means the original and copies of a document so designated under rule 136(3) of the Land Registration Rules 2003;

  • “first point of marketing” must be construed in accordance with regulation 3;

  • “home information pack” in relation to a property, means—

    1. (a)

      where a duty arises under section 155(1) of the 2004 Act, the home information pack intended by the responsible personf6 to be the one required by that subsection; and

    2. (b)

      where a duty arises under section 159(2) of that Act, the home information pack intended by the person to whom that section applies to be the one required by that subsection;

  • “home information pack index” means the document required by regulation 8(a);

  • “home inspector” means a person who is a member of an approved certification scheme;

  • “individual register” means the register so named in rule 2 of the Land Registration Rules 2003, the contents and arrangement of which are described in rules 3 and 4 of those Rules;

  • “lease” means a long lease except in regulation 8(g), regulation 23(b)(i), paragraph 3(l) of Schedule 3 and paragraph 3(a) of Schedule 4f7;

  • “listed building consent” means a consent under section 8(1), (2) or (3) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990f8;

  • “occupant” includes a potential occupant;

  • “pack document” means a document (or part of a document) required or authorised by these Regulations to be included in the home information pack;

  • “planning permission” means a permission (granted or deemed to be granted) under Part 3 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990f9;

  • “premises” includes buildings and land;

  • “property” means the residential property in respect of which a duty arises under section 155(1) or 159(2) of the 2004 Actf10;

  • “property interest” means the freehold interest (including a freehold estate in commonhold land) or the leasehold interest in the property that the seller is proposing to sellf11;

  • “records” includes documents, registers, files and archives, kept in any form;

  • “register of title” means the register kept by the Chief Land Registrar pursuant to section 1 of the Land Registration Act 2002;

  • “registered estate” means a legal estate the title to which is entered in the register of title, other than a charge the title to which is entered in that register;

  • “sale”, includes the potential sale of a property interestf12;

  • “sale statement” means the document required by regulation 8(b);

  • “search” means an inspection or investigation (whether manual or electronic) of records;

  • “service charge” has the same meaning as in section 18 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985f13; and

  • “title plan” means the plan so named in rule 5(a) of the Land Registration Rules 2003.

(2)

In these Regulations, any expression relating to commonhold land must be construed in accordance with—

(a)

Part 1 of the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002f14 if it is also used in that Act; or

(b)

the Commonhold Regulations 2004f15 where those Regulations further define or elaborate upon an expression used in Part 1 of that Act,

and in relation to commonhold land, references to common parts are to those that relate to the property and the commonhold of which the property forms part.

(3)

For the purposes of these Regulations—

(a)

the property is physically complete if its building or its conversion for residential purposes has been completed; and

(b)

where a question arises as to whether the property is physically complete, it must be considered physically complete if it—

(i)

is wind and weather proof;

(ii)

is safe and sanitary in relation to its occupants or visitors;

(iii)

has facilities for the supply of space heating, hot and cold water and electricity; and

(iv)

has washing and drainage facilities.

(4)

In these Regulations, references to the amendment or revision of a document include its modification or variation.

(5)

In these Regulations, references to a number of days or months are to a consecutive period of such days or months.

Annotations

Footnotes

f1

1975 c. 76. Section 4 was amended by section 25(1) of and Schedule 3 to the Interpretation Act 1978 (c. 30).

f2

2002 c. 9.

f3

1990 c. 9.

f4

S.I. 2003/1417.

f5

OJ No. L1, 4.1.03, p 65. The Directive relates to the energy performance of buildings and article 7 requires Member States to ensure that when any buildings are constructed, sold or rented out, an energy performance certificate is made available to the owner or by the owner to the prospective buyer or tenant. “Energy performance certificate of a building” is defined in the Directive as “a certificate recognised by the Member State or a legal person designated by it, which includes the energy performance of a building calculated according to a methodology based on the general framework set out in the Annex”. Article 7 is to be implemented by the UK. Articles 3 to 6 of the Directive were implemented by amendments made to the Building Regulations 2000 (S.I. 2000/2531) and the Building (Approved Inspectors etc) Regulations 2000 (S.I. 2000/2532) by the Building and Approved Inspectors (Amendment) Regulations 2006 (S.I. 2006/652).

f6

The circumstances in which a person becomes and ceases to be a “responsible person” are described in sections 151, 152 and 153 of the 2004 Act.

f7

“Long lease” is defined in section 177(1) of the 2004 Act.

f8

Subsection (2) was amended by article 2 of the Authorisation of Works (Listed Buildings) (England) Order 2001 (S.I. 2001/24).

f9

1990 c. 8.

f10

“Residential property” is defined in section 148(1) of the 2004 Act.

f11

“Seller” is defined in section 177(1) of the 2004 Act.

f12

“Sale” is defined in section 177(1) of the 2004 Act.

f13

1985 c. 70. Section 18 was amended by paragraph 1 of Schedule 2 to the Landlord and Tenant Act 1987 (c. 31) and paragraph 7 of Schedule 9 to the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 (c. 15).

f14

2002 c. 15.

f15

S.I. 2004/1829.