Strategic Land Holdings Ltd

Still Farming

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
South Wales UK
If I was contemplating selling land I would contact a respected local agent not a company based in the Isle of Man that has not be in business for a year even. Maybe it is just me but have read to many horror stories.
It don't matter who they are possibly as if they got the money, you want to sell and all carried out correctly by your Solicitor then that's it.
 
Buyer - and seller - beware. They have 5 incarnations in the Isle of Man registry, Strategic Land Holdings 1, 2, 3 and 4, all this year, in addition to Strategic Land Holdings Limited from last September. And a one page website...
 

UncleD

Member
Arable Farmer
Sounds better than Travellers-Camp-And-Nightmare-Neighbours.com, but I suspect it could belong to the same parent company...
We have exactly the same in our village but unfortunately they have managed to actually purchase some land. Can you give an honest answer, how sure are you they are related to travellers?
 

onthehoof

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Cambs
I had a letter, they were quite specific as to which piece of land they wanted to buy, so must have got my details from the Land Registry
 

Goweresque

Member
Location
North Wilts
The fact is is in the IoM raised a red flag for me

Its not that much of a red flag to be fair. Or the fact there's no money in the accounts. Development companies usually have multiple shell companies, they often set them up purely to do specific deals and there would be no money in it until its needed to make the purchase. And an IoM company is less of a red flag than one in the Bahamas or Panama or suchlike. And many wealthy people either go and live in the IoM or use companies based there for tax reasons. Ask Lewis Hamilton. The question you have to ask is who is behind these companies and do they have the £££ to back up the words?

That being said the development land business is full of chancers with a tall story and a flashy website but don't have 2 pennies to rub together. They are usually looking to tie land up on long term options which they can then punt around larger development businesses and try and turn a £ or two.

There are genuine investors out there looking to sink money into potential development land, but they'll always be wanting it cheap, they aren't going to pay anywhere near market value. One thing I've learned over 25 years of dealing with development companies is that talk is cheap, but people who are prepared to part with cold hard cash are few and far between. Its a shark infested business, be careful!

The first thing to do to test if a potential buyer is serious is ask for an undertaking for legal costs before you do a thing. Its very easy to start negotiations, involve the legal eagles and suddenly find you're £10k in the hole for costs, and no way of getting it back unless you actually complete the deal. If its a genuine investment firm and they are serious about buying they should stand a contribution to your costs from the get go. Request their solicitor provide a costs undertaking for at least £5k+vat (I always demand £10k, at £300+/hr that soon disappears) before you start, then you are covered up to that limit. It helps sort the wheat from the chaff.
 

MrNoo

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Cirencester
I had a letter from them back in the summer, noted they were from IofM and there was not a lot about them from Google so didnt bother with them. They were specific re land parcels/areas etc but as above guess they had been on the land registry.
 

Cheesehead

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Kent
We are now on about our 6th letter all the same X and Y pieces of land only interested if has no restrictions given the two piece I am guessing they are wanting to build a number of houses on them.
 

Taxexpert

Member
Hi folks.

Has anyone else been approached by www.strategic-farm-and-land.co.uk.

I received an unsolicited letter from them enquiring if I would be considering selling some land.

I am always wary of unsolicited letters.
Stay clear. If you want to sell, do it on your own terms. Isle of Mann reeks of tax avoidance at best to me. Evasion is another matter. 20 years of experience in international tax in my career. Approached recently re my family farmland. Not interested 👎
 

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