Legal Pack Review
When your bid wins, you exchange contracts on whatever the legal pack says, instantly and unconditionally. A pre-bid review is the one chance to find the problems while walking away is still free. Here is exactly what a reviewer checks.
The five things a reviewer checks
1.Title register and plan
Is the seller actually the registered owner? Do the boundaries on the plan match what is being marketed? A reviewer looks for restrictive covenants (no development, no business use), rights of way across the land, overage and uplift clauses that claw back future value, and any charges or restrictions that could block or delay completion.
2.Special conditions of sale
The seller's own contract terms, and the most common source of hidden cost. Typical items: buyer pays the seller's legal fees, a fixed or percentage documentation fee, contributions to searches, apportioned arrears on leaseholds, or a shortened completion period. A reviewer totals these so they go into your bid maths.
3.Searches, present and in date
Local authority, water and drainage, and environmental searches reveal planning enforcement, road schemes, drainage liability and contamination risk. Sellers do not have to include them. The review flags what is missing and how old anything included is, so you can order your own or price the uncertainty.
4.Tenancies and occupiers
For lots sold with tenants: what kind of tenancy is it (an AST prices very differently from a regulated tenancy), is the paperwork actually in the pack, what is the passing rent, are there arrears, and were deposits protected? An undocumented occupier is a legal problem you inherit at the hammer.
5.Lease terms (leasehold lots)
Years remaining is the headline: below roughly 80 years, extension costs rise sharply, and below 70 most lenders walk away. The review also checks ground rent (amount and escalation clauses), service charges and arrears, and any onerous or defective lease terms that would make the flat hard to finance or resell.
Timing: packs change late
Legal packs are often uploaded days before the sale and can be amended by addendum right up to auction day. Book the review as soon as you are serious about a lot, and check for updates the day before you bid. If the pack for a lot you like has not appeared, chase the auctioneer; bidding on an unseen pack is bidding blind.
A review only protects the downside. The bid itself still needs real numbers: use the auction cost calculator for the full cost including premium and stamp duty, and see the auction finance guide if you need funding inside the 28-day completion window.
Legal pack review FAQs
How long does a legal pack review take?
Most auction solicitors turn a pack around in one to three working days, and many offer a faster service in auction week. Packs are sometimes uploaded or updated late, so get the review booked as soon as you are serious about a lot and re-check for pack updates the day before the sale.
What does a review cost?
Usually a fixed fee per pack, commonly in the low hundreds of pounds. Many firms will offset some or all of it against their conveyancing fee if you win the lot and instruct them. Compared with exchanging unconditionally on a defective title, it is the cheapest protection available at auction.
Can I review the legal pack myself?
You can and should read it yourself, especially the special conditions, and our buyer's checklist tells you what to look for. But title defects, covenant wording, lease terms and tenancy status are exactly the areas where a non-lawyer misses things. For most buyers the sensible split is: read it yourself first, then pay a professional to review any lot you genuinely intend to bid on.
The pack is nearly empty. What does that mean?
Treat a thin pack as information. It may just mean a disorganised seller, but it can also mean the seller knows the searches or title would put buyers off. Everything missing from the pack is risk you carry when the hammer falls, so either fill the gaps yourself before the auction or discount your maximum bid accordingly.
What happens if the review finds a problem?
You have three good options, all of them cheap because you have not bid yet: walk away, reduce your maximum bid to price in the issue, or ask the auctioneer and seller's solicitor for clarification or an addendum before the sale. That choice is exactly what the review buys you.