SQE1 Property Practice Revision Guide 2026: Freehold, Leasehold, Conveyancing and SDLT

Why Property Practice Is High-Volume on FLK2

Property Practice (PLP) sits at the centre of FLK2. Together with Land Law, Wills and Administration of Estates, and Solicitors Accounts, it forms the bulk of your second sitting. Expect roughly 30 to 40 single best answer questions on PLP across the two FLK2 papers, with a heavy slant towards the registered residential transaction, mortgages, leasehold covenants, and Stamp Duty Land Tax. The SRA assessment specification treats PLP and Land Law as paired subjects — questions often blend a substantive land law point (a covenant, an easement, an overriding interest under Schedule 3 of the Land Registration Act 2002) with a procedural PLP step (an OS1 search, a TR1 transfer, a CON29 reply). If you are revising one without the other, you are revising neither well. Pair this guide with our SQE1 Land Law revision guide and treat them as a single conveyancing block.

PLP rewards candidates who think in workflow. The transaction has a fixed sequence — instructions, investigation of title, searches, contract, exchange, completion, post-completion — and every fact pattern in the exam is a snapshot of a single moment in that sequence. Once you can place a problem on the timeline, the applicable rule is usually obvious. The candidates who struggle are those who try to memorise rules in isolation. For a broader view of how PLP fits into the rest of FLK2, see our breakdown in FLK1 vs FLK2 and the hardest subjects ranked post.

The PLP Syllabus

Pre-Contract Stage

Client Care, Conflicts and the SRA Code

Every PLP scenario begins with the same hidden gateway: have you complied with the SRA Standards and Regulations? Under the SRA Code of Conduct for Solicitors (paragraph 8.6) you must give clients the information they need to make informed decisions about the services they receive. In a residential purchase that means a written client care letter setting out the scope of the retainer, the basis of charging, and the named individual responsible for the matter.

Conflicts of interest are tested often. Paragraph 6.2 of the Code prohibits acting where there is a conflict or a significant risk of conflict between two or more current clients. The classic exam fact pattern is acting for both seller and buyer, or acting for joint borrowers where one is a non-owning surety. Acting for both buyer and lender is generally permitted under paragraph 6.2(b) (the substantially common interest exception) because the buyer and the lender share the same interest in good marketable title — but the exception breaks down the moment the lender's instructions diverge from the buyer's, at which point you must cease acting for one party.

Anti-Money Laundering and Source of Funds

The Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017 (SI 2017/692, the MLR 2017) require client due diligence before establishing a business relationship. For a standard residential purchase you must verify identity (regulation 28), assess risk (regulation 18) and apply enhanced due diligence where the client is a politically exposed person or where the transaction is unusually large or complex (regulation 33).

Source of funds and source of wealth are different concepts and the exam loves the distinction. Source of funds is the immediate origin of the money used in the transaction (a specific bank account, the proceeds of a named sale). Source of wealth is the activity that generated the client's overall wealth (a salary, an inheritance, the sale of a business). You need both for a high-risk client. Failing to satisfy yourself on either is a regulation 28 breach and potentially a substantive offence under sections 327 to 329 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

The Law Society Conveyancing Protocol

The Law Society Conveyancing Protocol governs most residential freehold sales between solicitors who are members of the Conveyancing Quality Scheme. It standardises the documentation pack — TA6 Property Information Form, TA7 Leasehold Information Form, TA10 Fittings and Contents Form, copies of the title and any planning consents — and sets timelines for replies. Outside the Protocol, the buyer's solicitor must raise enquiries from scratch.

Investigation of Title

Registered Title

Registered title is governed by the Land Registration Act 2002 (LRA 2002) and the Land Registration Rules 2003 (SI 2003/1417). HM Land Registry maintains every registered title across three registers, all consolidated into a single official copy:

• Property register — describes the property, identifies the estate (freehold or leasehold), and lists benefits such as the right of way over a neighbour's land.
• Proprietorship register — names the registered proprietor, states the class of title (absolute, possessory, qualified or good leasehold) and discloses restrictions and indemnity covenants.
• Charges register — records burdens, including registered charges (mortgages), restrictive covenants, leases over seven years, and notices protecting third-party interests under section 32 LRA 2002.

The buyer's solicitor checks each register against the contract package. Critically, you also check for overriding interests under Schedule 3 LRA 2002 — interests that bind the registered proprietor despite not appearing on the register. The most exam-worthy of these is the Schedule 3 paragraph 2 interest of a person in actual occupation, which echoes the Williams & Glyn's Bank Ltd v Boland [1981] AC 487 problem of the unregistered beneficial co-owner.

Unregistered Title

For unregistered land you investigate title through an epitome of title — a chronological schedule of title deeds — supported by an abstract or photocopies of every document in the chain. The root of title must be at least 15 years old (section 23 Law of Property Act 1969) and must contain an unbroken chain of ownership to the current seller. A conveyance on sale, a legal mortgage, or an assent are acceptable roots. A voluntary deed (a gift, a deed of variation) is not.

You search the Land Charges Department under the Land Charges Act 1972, name by name, against every estate owner during the title period (Form K15). The classes you must memorise:

• Class A — financial charges by statute on application.
• Class B — financial charges by statute automatic.
• Class C(i) puisne mortgage — a legal mortgage not protected by deposit of title deeds.
• Class C(iv) estate contract — a contract to convey a legal estate (an option, a right of pre-emption, a contract to grant a lease).
• Class D(ii) restrictive covenant — a post-1925 freehold restrictive covenant.
• Class D(iii) equitable easement — a post-1925 equitable easement.
• Class F — a matrimonial home right under the Family Law Act 1996 (formerly the Matrimonial Homes Act).

If a registrable land charge is not registered, it is void against a purchaser of the legal estate for valuable consideration (sections 4 and 5 LCA 1972). Note the contrast with registered land, where notices and restrictions on the register do most of the work.

A first registration is triggered automatically on most dealings with unregistered land — sale, gift, assent, the grant of a lease over seven years (section 4 LRA 2002). Within two months of completion you apply on Form FR1; failure to do so means the transfer is void as to the legal estate (section 7 LRA 2002).

Pre-Contract Searches and Enquiries

Local Authority Searches

The CON29 Standard Enquiries of the Local Authority cover planning history, building regulation consents, road status, statutory notices, contaminated land designations and tree preservation orders. The CON29O is the Optional Enquiries form — covering matters such as common land, public paths, pipelines and gas — which you raise only when the property circumstances suggest one of those topics is in play.

The LLC1 Search of the Local Land Charges Register reveals registered charges held by the local authority — financial charges for road works, listed building status, conservation area designations, and similar matters governed by the Local Land Charges Act 1975 (and now centralised through HM Land Registry's local land charges register).

Other Standard Searches

• Drainage and water (CON29DW) — confirms whether the property is connected to mains water and foul drainage and whether public sewers run within or near the title.
• Environmental search (CON29E or commercial alternatives such as Envirosearch) — flags contaminated land risk, flooding, radon and historical landfill.
• Chancel repair search — historically required to identify lay rectors with chancel repair liability under the Chancel Repairs Act 1932. Following the abolition of overriding status from 13 October 2013 by the Land Registration Act 2002 transitional provisions, chancel repair liability now binds successors only if registered as a notice. The cautious practitioner still searches and, if a hit comes back, takes out indemnity insurance.
• Highways search — confirms that the road serving the property is publicly maintained.
• Mining and coal authority searches — if the property is in a coal mining area or on the location of historic mineral workings.

Pre-Contract Enquiries

Pre-contract enquiries to the seller's solicitor are raised in writing and answered on TA6 (Property Information Form), TA7 (Leasehold Information Form for leasehold) and TA10 (Fittings and Contents Form). Replies bind the seller — a misstatement gives rise to a misrepresentation claim under the Misrepresentation Act 1967 (subject to any non-reliance clauses in the eventual contract). The Standard Conditions of Sale (current edition, currently 5th edition) and the Standard Commercial Property Conditions (3rd edition) both incorporate caveat emptor as the default rule, so accurate enquiries are the buyer's only protection on physical defects beyond the seller's express replies.

The Contract

Standard Conditions of Sale

The Standard Conditions of Sale (current edition, currently 5th edition) are the default form for residential transactions; the Standard Commercial Property Conditions (3rd edition, the SCPC) are used for commercial work. Both conditions incorporate by reference into the contract under condition 1.1.

Key clauses you must know cold:

• Condition 2 — formation, deposit, and the auction procedure.
• Condition 4 — title and transfer, including the obligation to give vacant possession.
• Condition 6 — completion procedure and apportionments at the rate of 4% above Bank of England base rate (for the SCs) where one party is in default.
• Condition 7 — remedies, including the right to rescind for unsatisfactory replies on title.
• Condition 8 — leasehold-specific provisions where the property is leasehold.

Exchange Procedure

Exchange is the moment a binding contract comes into existence. The Law Society's Formulae A, B and C standardise telephone exchange between solicitors:

• Formula A — used where one solicitor holds both signed contracts. The other party undertakes to send the deposit and the signed counterpart that day.
• Formula B — the more common formula. Each solicitor holds their own client's signed contract and undertakes to hold it to the other's order on exchange. This is the default for most residential transactions.
• Formula C — used in chain transactions where one party needs to exchange on a sale and a purchase simultaneously and cannot risk being committed on one without the other.

The deposit is conventionally 10% of the purchase price under Standard Condition 2.2. A reduced deposit is a matter of negotiation and must be expressly agreed. If the buyer fails to complete, the seller may forfeit the deposit (Standard Condition 6.8) — but the court has a discretion under section 49(2) of the Law of Property Act 1925 to order return of part or all of a forfeited deposit if it would be unjust for the seller to retain it. Tennaro Ltd v Majorarch [2003] EWHC 2601 illustrates the high bar.

A conditional contract is one whose existence depends on a future event — for example, planning permission being granted. Conditional contracts are rare in residential work and risky because the buyer cannot enforce until the condition is satisfied.

Mortgages

Legal and Equitable Mortgages

A legal mortgage of registered land is created by a charge by deed expressed to be by way of legal mortgage (section 87 Law of Property Act 1925), executed and completed by registration as a registered charge under section 27(2)(f) LRA 2002. Until registration, the mortgage takes effect only in equity. An equitable mortgage may also arise by an informal agreement supported by a written contract complying with section 2 of the Law of Property (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1989, or by an equitable charge over an equitable interest.

The Lender's Solicitor's Duties

The UK Finance Mortgage Lenders' Handbook (formerly the CML Handbook) sets out the lender's instructions to its solicitor. Where the same firm acts for buyer and lender (the common case) the solicitor owes a fiduciary duty to both. The solicitor must report any matter that might affect the lender's decision to lend — undisclosed gifts, related-party transactions, deposit not coming from the buyer's own resources, valuation discrepancies. Mortgage Express v Bowerman [1996] 2 All ER 836 confirmed that the duty to disclose is broad and cannot be excluded by the buyer-client's instructions.

Surety Cases and Undue Influence

Where one party is providing security for another's debt — typically a wife or partner mortgaging the matrimonial home for a husband's business loan — the lender is on notice of a possible undue influence claim. Royal Bank of Scotland v Etridge (No 2) [2001] UKHL 44 established the procedure for taking the surety transaction beyond challenge:

1. The lender informs the surety in writing of the documents and the risks.
2. The surety must seek independent legal advice from a solicitor not acting for the principal debtor or the lender (in practice, a separate firm).
3. The independent solicitor confirms in writing to the lender that the surety has been advised on the nature and effect of the documents.
4. The advice covers the practical implications, the risks, and the surety's free choice.

Skipping the Etridge protocol allows the surety to set the charge aside as against the lender. The exam often combines an Etridge point with a registration question — even where the lender has fully complied, if the charge is not registered it ranks behind a registered charge granted by the borrower in the meantime.

Between Exchange and Completion

Risk passes to the buyer on exchange under Standard Condition 5.1. The buyer must therefore put insurance on cover from exchange, even though legal title remains with the seller. The seller retains an obligation to maintain the property in its physical state at exchange (Standard Condition 5.1.1).

Between exchange and completion the buyer's solicitor:

• raises requisitions on title (Form TA13, Completion Information and Undertakings)
• conducts pre-completion searches — an OS1 priority search at HM Land Registry (or OS2 for part of a title) gives a 30-working-day priority period during which no entries can be registered against the title
• conducts a Land Charges K16 bankruptcy search against the buyer (required by all lenders)
• obtains the mortgage advance from the lender
• confirms apportionments for council tax, water, rent and service charges as at completion date

The seller's solicitor obtains a redemption statement from the existing lender and prepares the executed TR1 transfer for delivery on completion.

Completion

The Code for Completion by Post

Completion is now almost universally conducted under the Law Society's Code for Completion by Post 2019 edition. The buyer's solicitor sends the completion monies to the seller's solicitor, who holds them as agent for the buyer. On receipt the seller's solicitor:

1. Confirms completion has occurred.
2. Releases the executed TR1 to the buyer's solicitor.
3. Holds any sale proceeds for the seller (subject to redeeming any existing charge).

The Code creates undertakings between solicitors. A breach is a serious professional matter and may give rise to personal liability of the solicitor.

TR1 Transfer

The TR1 is the prescribed form of transfer of registered title. It must:

• be executed as a deed (Law of Property (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1989, section 1)
• be signed by the seller in the presence of a witness
• where the transfer is for value, also be signed by the buyer (especially where the buyer is taking on indemnity covenants or new restrictive covenants)

For unregistered land the equivalent is a conveyance under the Law of Property Act 1925, again executed as a deed.

Discharge of the Seller's Mortgage

After completion the seller's solicitor uses the sale proceeds to redeem the existing mortgage. The seller's lender then provides a Form DS1 (paper discharge) or, more commonly today, an electronic E-DS1 confirming discharge. The buyer's solicitor needs the DS1 to register the transfer free of the seller's charge. If the lender is on the Land Registry's electronic discharge service, the discharge is automatic on lender notification.

Post-Completion

SDLT Return and Payment

A land transaction return on Form SDLT1 must be filed within 14 days of the effective date of the transaction (section 76 Finance Act 2003, as amended). Effective date is usually completion, but earlier if the buyer takes substantial possession or pays substantial consideration before completion. SDLT must be paid at the same time. Late filing triggers fixed penalties; late payment triggers interest and tax-geared penalties.

Registration at HM Land Registry

The buyer's solicitor applies to register the transfer on Form AP1 within the priority period of the OS1 search. The application must be lodged before priority expires; otherwise an intervening third-party application could leapfrog the buyer. Section 27 LRA 2002 makes the transfer of a registered estate a registrable disposition that does not operate at law until registered — until registration the buyer holds an equitable interest only.

For unregistered land triggering first registration, the application is on Form FR1 within two months of completion (section 6 LRA 2002).

Stamp Duty Land Tax

Residential Bands (2025/26)

For a residential purchase by a UK-resident individual buying a single dwelling that becomes their main home, the rates from 1 April 2025 are:

First-Time Buyer Relief

First-time buyer relief (Finance Act 2003, Schedule 6ZA) applies where every buyer is a first-time buyer and the property is purchased as a main residence. From 1 April 2025 the relief gives:

• 0% on the first £300,000
• 5% on the slice from £300,001 to £500,000
• no relief at all if the price exceeds £500,000

The pre-1 April 2025 thresholds (£425,000 nil, taper to £625,000) reverted to the lower figures above when the temporary relief expired. State the position as the rates currently in force for 2025/26.

Additional Property Surcharge

A buyer purchasing an additional dwelling (a buy-to-let, a second home, or a replacement that completes before the sale of the existing main residence) pays a surcharge of 5 percentage points above the standard residential rates (Finance Act 2003, Schedule 4ZA, as amended by the Autumn Budget 2024 increase from 3% to 5% with effect from 31 October 2024). The surcharge applies where, on the effective date, the buyer owns another dwelling worth £40,000 or more anywhere in the world.

A buyer who completes on a new main residence before selling the existing one pays the surcharge but may reclaim it if the existing main residence is sold within 36 months (paragraph 8 Schedule 4ZA).

Non-Resident Surcharge

A non-UK resident buyer of a residential property in England or Northern Ireland pays a further 2 percentage points on top of all other rates (Finance Act 2003, Schedule 9A). Residence is assessed against a 365-day window straddling the effective date.

Commercial and Mixed-Use Bands

Mixed-use property — a shop with a flat above, agricultural land with a farmhouse — falls within the commercial bands as a whole, which is often more favourable than the residential rates and a frequent exam point.

LTT and LBTT

SDLT applies to England and Northern Ireland only. Wales has Land Transaction Tax under the Land Transaction Tax and Anti-avoidance of Devolved Taxes (Wales) Act 2017, administered by the Welsh Revenue Authority. Scotland has Land and Buildings Transaction Tax. Both have separate bands and reliefs. The exam will tell you which jurisdiction is in play; do not assume SDLT.

Leasehold Specifics

Lease Structure and Covenants

A lease creates a legal estate (a term of years absolute) under section 1(1)(b) LPA 1925. Every lease contains a battery of covenants — the rent, repair, alterations, alienation, user — and the structure of those covenants is usually exam-tested.

The fixtures rule — quicquid plantatur solo solo cedit — means that anything a tenant attaches to the demised premises becomes part of the landlord's reversion at the end of the term, subject to the tenant's right to remove tenant's fixtures (trade and ornamental). The leading authority is Berkley v Poulett [1977] 1 EGLR 86.

Alienation

Alienation covenants typically prohibit assignment, underletting and parting with possession. A qualified covenant — assignment is permitted with the landlord's consent — is converted to a fully qualified covenant by section 19(1)(a) of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1927: consent must not be unreasonably withheld. The Landlord and Tenant Act 1988 imposes positive duties on the landlord to respond within a reasonable time and to give written reasons.

For commercial leases granted on or after 1 January 1996, section 19(1A) LTA 1927 allows the parties to specify in advance the circumstances in which the landlord may withhold consent — typically a credit-rating threshold and an Authorised Guarantee Agreement (AGA).

AGAs and the Privity Reform

The Landlord and Tenant (Covenants) Act 1995 reformed privity of contract for leases granted on or after 1 January 1996. Under section 5 the outgoing tenant is automatically released from the tenant covenants on a lawful assignment. To preserve covenant strength on a commercial assignment the landlord may require an AGA under section 16: the outgoing tenant guarantees performance by the immediate assignee (and only that assignee). For residential and pre-1996 leases the position is different — a pre-1996 original tenant remains liable under privity of contract for the entire term.

Forfeiture and Relief

The landlord's right of re-entry (forfeiture) requires an express forfeiture clause in the lease. For non-payment of rent the procedure is governed by Common Law Procedure Act 1852 (now largely County Courts Act 1984, section 138 in the county court): the tenant has an automatic right to relief on payment of arrears within six months of the date of judgment.

For breach of any other covenant, the landlord must serve a section 146 notice under the Law of Property Act 1925 specifying the breach, requiring remedy if capable of remedy, and allowing reasonable time. The court has a wide discretion to grant relief on terms (s.146(2)). For repair covenants on leases of seven years or more with at least three years to run, the Leasehold Property (Repairs) Act 1938 imposes a counter-notice procedure that further restricts the landlord.

Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 Part II

Part II LTA 1954 grants security of tenure to business tenants — a statutory right to renew a tenancy of business premises occupied by the tenant for the purposes of its business. The landlord can only oppose renewal on one of seven statutory grounds in section 30(1):

Compensation under section 37 is payable on the no-fault grounds (e), (f) and (g). The landlord initiates the renewal process by a section 25 notice; the tenant by a section 26 request.

A tenancy may be contracted out of Part II under section 38A LTA 1954 by following the prescribed warning notice and tenant declaration procedure. The exam point is that the procedure must be completed before the tenant becomes contractually bound — typically before lease grant — and that a simple superior declaration is enough only if the lease is to be granted at least 14 days later; otherwise a statutory declaration is required.

Assignment vs Underletting

New-Build and Off-Plan

New-build sales involve a different structural pattern: a reservation deposit, a bespoke developer's contract (not the Standard Conditions), a long-stop date for completion, and a structural warranty (typically NHBC Buildmark or LABC) running for 10 years. The buyer's solicitor must check that:

• planning permission and building regulation completion have been obtained
• the title from the developer's title (often a transfer of part with new restrictive covenants and easements) is correctly described
• a completion notice from the developer triggers a fixed period for the buyer to complete (typically 10 working days)
• mortgage offers are aligned with the long-stop date — many lenders limit offer validity to six months from issue

Title Defects and Indemnity Insurance

Common title defects you will be asked about:

• a missing restrictive covenant indemnity from a previous transfer
• a defective lease where the term commencement date or the parcels clause is unclear
• absence of consent for previous alterations that breach a restrictive covenant
• lack of building regulations consent for past works
• chancel repair liability where a search hit returns

The choice between negotiating a remedy (a deed of release, retrospective consent, a new conveyance) and indemnity insurance is a commercial one. The exam usually presents a fact pattern where insurance is the only viable route — a covenantee whose identity is unknown, a lost deed, a deceased grantor.

Property Taxation Beyond SDLT

Capital Gains Tax

A disposal of UK residential property by a UK resident individual is a chargeable disposal for CGT purposes (Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992). The annual exempt amount for individuals for 2024/25 onwards is £3,000. Residential property gains are taxed at 18% for basic-rate slice and 24% for higher-rate slice (rates set in 2024/25, applicable to 2025/26).

Principal Private Residence Relief (TCGA 1992, sections 222–226A) exempts gains on a property that has been the taxpayer's only or main residence throughout the period of ownership. Final period relief covers the last 9 months of ownership even if the property is no longer occupied. Periods of letting attract Lettings Relief in narrow circumstances (now confined to periods of shared occupation since the 2020 reform).

A non-resident disposing of UK land is also within the charge under TCGA 1992, Schedule 1 Part 1, with a 60-day reporting and payment requirement under the NRCGT regime.

VAT on Property

Most residential sales are exempt from VAT. Most commercial sales are also exempt unless the seller has opted to tax under VATA 1994, Schedule 10. A buyer of an opted commercial property may face an irrecoverable VAT charge unless the sale qualifies as a transfer of a going concern (TOGC) — a distinct exam point that turns on whether the buyer is also opting to tax.

10 PLP Exam Techniques

1. Place the question on the timeline. Before reading the answer choices, identify whether the issue arises pre-contract, between exchange and completion, or post-completion. Many distractors are correct rules at the wrong stage.

2. Read the property type first. Registered freehold, unregistered freehold, leasehold and commercial all have different rule sets. Knowing the type rules out half the options on sight.

3. Identify whose solicitor you are. Buyer's solicitor, seller's solicitor and lender's solicitor have different duties. A question about disclosure obligations turns on which side you act for.

4. Distinguish CON29 from CON29O. CON29 is the standard set; CON29O is the optional supplementary set. If the fact pattern mentions common land, public paths or pipelines, you need CON29O.

5. Distinguish Standard Conditions from SCPC. Residential = Standard Conditions of Sale (5th edition currently); commercial = Standard Commercial Property Conditions (3rd edition). A question that turns on the commercial conditions in a residential transaction is a deliberate trap.

6. Memorise the priority period. OS1 gives 30 working days. Registration must occur within that window or another applicant can leapfrog. Almost every post-completion question turns on this.

7. Apply the Etridge protocol literally. Independent advice means a different solicitor — the surety in the same firm as the principal debtor is enough to defeat the protection.

8. For SDLT, slice the consideration. Each band applies only to the slice within it. Test your arithmetic on a small worked example before the exam.

9. For leasehold, ask "post-1996?" The Landlord and Tenant (Covenants) Act 1995 is the dividing line. Privity of contract continues for pre-1996 leases; AGAs apply only to post-1996 leases.

10. Default to caveat emptor. Both Standard Conditions and SCPC reflect the default position that the seller does not warrant physical condition. The buyer's protection is the survey, the replies to enquiries and any express contractual warranty — not an implied term.

Common SQE1 PLP Mistakes

1. Confusing CON29 with CON29O. Memorise the split and check the fact pattern for the trigger items: common land, public paths, gas pipelines, drainage rights of way.

2. Treating the Standard Commercial Property Conditions as interchangeable with the Standard Conditions of Sale. Different default deposit handling, different completion provisions, different remedies. The SCPC are sharper-edged because they are designed for sophisticated parties.

3. Mixing up registered and unregistered conveyancing procedures. A Land Charges Department search applies only to unregistered land. An OS1 priority search applies only to registered land. Confusing them is a giveaway error.

4. Forgetting the 14-day SDLT deadline. Candidates who memorise the old 30-day window lose marks on every SDLT timing question. Since 1 March 2019 the deadline is 14 days from the effective date.

5. Ignoring the additional property surcharge increase. The surcharge is now 5 percentage points, not 3, with effect from 31 October 2024. State the higher figure.

6. Misapplying the Etridge protocol to a commercial joint borrower. Etridge protects sureties in non-commercial relationships of trust and confidence — the wife mortgaging the home for the husband's business. It does not apply to commercial joint and several borrowers, although the lender may still wish to obtain independent advice as a matter of caution.

7. Forgetting that PLP and Land Law overlap. A question about an unregistered easement on registered land is half a Land Law question (whether it overrides under Schedule 3 paragraph 3 LRA 2002) and half a PLP question (how to investigate it on title). Treat the PLP exam as conveyancing-with-substantive-overlay.

How to Structure Your PLP Revision

PLP rewards five concentrated weeks. The plan below assumes you have already completed FLK1 and a baseline pass through PLP textbook reading.

Week 1 — Pre-contract and title (registered)

• Day 1: Client care, AML, the Conveyancing Protocol
• Day 2: Registered title — three registers, official copies, title plans
• Day 3: Overriding interests under Schedule 3 LRA 2002
• Day 4: Forms TA6, TA7, TA10 and replies
• Day 5: Practice 30 single best answer questions on /practice/quick-quiz filtered to PLP

Week 2 — Title (unregistered) and searches

• Day 1: Epitome of title, root of title, Form K15
• Day 2: Land Charges classes A to F
• Day 3: First registration triggers under section 4 LRA 2002
• Day 4: CON29, CON29O, CON29DW, environmental, chancel
• Day 5: 30 question PLP set, focusing on searches

Week 3 — Contract, exchange, completion

• Day 1: Standard Conditions of Sale 5th edition — all relevant clauses
• Day 2: Formulae A, B and C
• Day 3: TR1, AP1, OS1 and the Code for Completion by Post
• Day 4: Mortgages, the Etridge protocol, lender duties under the UK Finance Handbook
• Day 5: Mixed FLK2 question set with timed conditions

Week 4 — SDLT, post-completion and tax

• Day 1: SDLT residential, FTB relief, additional property surcharge
• Day 2: Non-resident surcharge, commercial bands, LTT and LBTT distinction
• Day 3: SDLT1 filing, AP1 registration, FR1 first registration
• Day 4: CGT and PPR relief on property; VAT on commercial property
• Day 5: 50-question mixed PLP set, marked against the SQE1 MCQ technique guide

Week 5 — Leasehold, exam technique, weak spots

• Day 1: Lease structure, alienation, forfeiture, AGAs
• Day 2: Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 Part II — section 30 grounds
• Day 3: Contracting out under section 38A and the warning notice procedure
• Day 4: New-build, indemnity insurance, weak topics from earlier weeks
• Day 5: Two full FLK2 mock papers, then a timed flashcard pass on the /flashcards deck

If you are juggling PLP with Land Law, share Days 4 and 5 of every week with the sister subject. The two reinforce each other; you will retain conveyancing procedure better when you can locate the substantive land law rule it implements. For the spaced repetition rationale see our flashcard guide.

Final Thoughts

PLP is a workflow subject. Once you know the order — instructions, title, searches, contract, exchange, between, completion, post-completion — you have already scored half the marks on every question. The other half is statute and case detail: the 14-day SDLT window, the OS1 priority period, the Etridge protocol, the section 30 grounds, the AGA mechanics. Those details do not memorise themselves; they need spaced repetition over weeks. Build the workflow in week one, layer the detail through weeks two to five, and finish with mock papers under timed conditions.

For your next steps:

• Drill PLP-specific single best answer questions on /practice/quick-quiz
• Lock in conveyancing procedure with /flashcards tagged to PLP
• Read the sister subject in our SQE1 Land Law revision guide
• Plan your FLK2 sitting against the FLK1 vs FLK2 breakdown
• Stress-test your overall plan with how to pass SQE1 in 2026 — and our hardest subjects ranked post for triage
• Subscribe through /pricing for the full FLK2 question bank
• Cross-reference the deeper PLP study notes at /study/property-law
• For statutory primary sources, see the Land Registration Act 2002 on legislation.gov.uk and the SRA Standards and Regulations