3 bedroom terraced house

For sale on 27 October 2021
The Knight Frank Auction will be broadcast live online with telephone and internet bidding.
The auction will commence at 11:30.

A 3 bedroom home forming part of Ayot House. Set within parkland with garaging and communal swimming pool.

A Grade II listed, three bedroom home forming part of Ayot House. The house was lived in by former King Michael of Romania and the main living space was a 44ft former ballroom which still has the original oak flooring, fireplace, timber carvings and panelling. The property benefits from just under 1.4 Acres of garden with water and electricity supply, a kitchen garden as well as use of the wider grounds which includes a communal swimming pool. It also has its own large allotment plot to the rear. Parking is available to the front along the sweeping gravel driveway, whilst the property benefits from its own garage. This is the first time the house has been on the market for 27 years as the current owners downsize.

Location Ayot St Lawrence is a Village of outstanding natural beauty, with a variety of period houses and cottages either side of a quiet country lane. The Brocket Arms pub lies in the centre and is a friendly meeting point for villagers. Shaws Corner the former home of Playwright George Bernhard Shaw, lies at one end and is owned by the National Trust, here they hold open air Plays and music evenings, and a yearly art exhibition is held at the nearby Palladian church. The nearest towns are, St Albans to the south, Harpenden to the west and Welwyn garden City to the East, all of which have excellent rail links into Kings Cross and St Pancras. The famous Michelin star restaurant Auberge du Lac is located at nearby Brocket Hall, as is a private, championship golf course. There are miles and miles of open countryside walks to explore, and the delightful village of Welwyn lies 3 miles to the East with a range of boutique shops and restaurants, M and S food store and access to J6 of the A1(M).

The area is well served by reputable junior and senior schools in Wheathampstead, St Albans, Harpenden, and Welwyn.
Note: The buyers fee is £2,400 inc VAT
Lease Details: Lease term 999 years from 29/9/1978. 957 years unexpired.
Virtual Tour: _https_vt.ehouse.co.uk/L41WTDHeiwr

Tenure: Leasehold

EPC Rating: N/A

Terms:
Auction Method
The auction for this property will take place as an "Auction Event" behind closed doors with a live auctioneer and will be streamed online in real-time. The property will be sold alongside several other lots. Bids must be placed remotely - please see the below section on "Registration Process". The auction can be watched in real-time on the auction date through SDL Property Auctions' website on their home page. 
The auction date applicable for the property is displayed under the property details section of this page. It is not possible to provide a precise timeslot when this property will be auctioned on the day, because there are other lots being sold.  
You are required to undertake identity checks before you can be authorised to bid. You must also provide your payment details. If you do not provide this information, your registration will not be processed. 
When you place your bid, you are deemed to have agreed to SDL Property Auctions' Buyers Terms (Knight Frank) which are available on SDL Property Auctions' website.

Auction type - Conditional
If you are the highest bidder when the auction for the property comes to an end, you will enter into a reservation agreement with the seller. You must then pay the applicable reservation fee and deposit. You will then have 40 business days within which to exchange contracts and complete the sale, unless the Special Conditions of Sale contained within the legal pack specify a different time limit. If you fail to do so, you may lose your reservation fee. During the 40-business day reservation period, the seller is not able to accept other offers.

Auction Fees 
The following non-refundable fees apply: 
Reservation Fee - payable immediately when the auction ends. The value of this fee will be listed against the property details, inclusive of VAT. The Reservation Fee does not contribute to the purchase price. 
There may be additional fees listed in the Special Conditions of Sale, which will be available to view within the legal pack. You must read the Special Conditions carefully before bidding. Any additional fees are included at the seller's discretion, not on the instruction of SDL Property Auctions, and will be in addition to any fees payable.  SDL Property Auctions has limited control over the content of the Special Conditions of Sale. 

Deposit 
You are required to pay a non-refundable 10% deposit, subject to a minimum of £5,000. The deposit will be payable immediately after the auction and will be held as security by SDL Property Auctions. This will be passed to your solicitor on exchange of contracts. In the event that exchange of contracts does not take place and the sale cannot proceed, the balance of the deposit will be payable to the seller.

Payment Method
Applicable fees must be paid immediately after a winning bid has been placed. Payment by cash or cheque will not be accepted. Prior to the auction, you will receive an email from the auctioneer to register your card details with third-party provider, Stripe. Your card details will be stored on their secure online payment platform. Payment will only be taken from you in the event of a winning bid. In this case, you will be contacted by a representative of the auctioneer to make payment. If you cannot be contacted within 24 hours after the auction ends, the auctioneer reserves the right to charge your card. 

Legal Pack 
Before bidding, you must view the legal pack for the property. This is the collection of legal documents that apply to the sale. The documents will include but are not limited to: Special Conditions of Sale, title documents from the Land Registry and Energy Performance Certificate.
The legal pack can be viewed via SDL Property Auctions' website by searching for the property. Once on the property details page, there is a sub-heading "Legal pack". Follow this link, and you will then be directed to create an account with Auction Passport to view the documents.
The legal pack can change at any time up until the auction starts so you must check for the most recent version of the legal pack. An addendum may be issued outlining any late changes. At the point of placing your bid, you are deemed to have read the legal pack in its entirety, including any changes. Failure to check for changes to the legal pack will not be a valid reason for withdrawing from the sale. 
It is strongly recommended that you instruct a qualified professional to review the legal pack and raise any necessary enquiries before bidding. 
Special Conditions of Sale 
The property is sold subject to any Special Conditions of Sale. These are contractual conditions that are included by the seller of the property - they are not part of SDL Property Auctions' terms and conditions. The Special Conditions of Sale are legally binding. You are taken to have read and accepted these at the point of bidding, even if you have not done so. The Special Conditions of Sale are available to read in the legal pack.  
 Registration Process 
To register to bid on the property, visit SDL Property Auctions' website and submit your remote bid. The lot number can be found against the Lot Details of the property. Prospective bidders must register no later than 12pm the day before the auction date. If you register after the cut-off, it cannot be guaranteed that your registration will be processed.