Advice needed - I've just received the deeds to a flat
- Thread starter dellzeqq
- Start date
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martint235
Dog on a bike
- Location
- Welling
Because I'm paranoid about these things, I'd make sure you've got all the info you need to download the pdf (I guess I'm saying download the pdf) and then not worry about it.
asterix
Comrade Member
- Location
- Limoges or York
AFAIK, not all properties have been registered. My understanding was that have had ours so long that it has not been registered*. The deeds were placed with our solicitor for safe keeping c. 10 years ago.
*just checked, it isnt
Archie_tect
De Skieven Architek... aka Penfold + Horace
- Location
- Northumberland
Dell, check with Land Registry that the flat is registered in your name and if it isn't make sure you get it done.
Recently had a case where a client wanted to sell a piece of land they had bought in 1952 from the Coal Board [as was] on a 30 year mortgage paid off in 1982. The original conveyancing solicitors misplaced the original transfer documents and only had a copy of the transfer, which they've only just found out. The Land Registry won't accept a photocopy. Meanwhile the Coal Authority had sneakily re-registered part of the land in their own name in 1984 without mentioning the sale. Because the solicitors had misplaced the documents, not retained the original, and had not registered the title correctly the Land Registry honoured the Coal Authority's claim to the land as it had not been challenged and was over 30 years ago. Land Registry copies of their electronic title plans issued by them are only valid for 3 years. If you need an up to date copy of their records you pay LR a fee.
If the LR have not got the title registered on their maps anyone can claim title to anything and that is when the original deeds become vital to prove ownership. So, after a rambling explanation, the moral is ensure your property is correctly registered with LR immediately!
[Edit: my long rambling took longer to type than your succinct post! Ignore mine!]
Recently had a case where a client wanted to sell a piece of land they had bought in 1952 from the Coal Board [as was] on a 30 year mortgage paid off in 1982. The original conveyancing solicitors misplaced the original transfer documents and only had a copy of the transfer, which they've only just found out. The Land Registry won't accept a photocopy. Meanwhile the Coal Authority had sneakily re-registered part of the land in their own name in 1984 without mentioning the sale. Because the solicitors had misplaced the documents, not retained the original, and had not registered the title correctly the Land Registry honoured the Coal Authority's claim to the land as it had not been challenged and was over 30 years ago. Land Registry copies of their electronic title plans issued by them are only valid for 3 years. If you need an up to date copy of their records you pay LR a fee.
If the LR have not got the title registered on their maps anyone can claim title to anything and that is when the original deeds become vital to prove ownership. So, after a rambling explanation, the moral is ensure your property is correctly registered with LR immediately!
[Edit: my long rambling took longer to type than your succinct post! Ignore mine!]
Black Sheep
Guru
- Location
- Rammy
The deeds to my houses are in my solicitor's safe.
One set of deeds came via inheritance through that solicitor and so I paid £30 for use of their safe, the other I had them handle the transfer so the deeds are in their safe as part of that.
One set of deeds came via inheritance through that solicitor and so I paid £30 for use of their safe, the other I had them handle the transfer so the deeds are in their safe as part of that.
Over The Hill
Guru
- Location
- Ridden off into the sunset
If the documents have "Land Registry" on and a "Title Number (2 or 3 letters followed by a number) then it is definately registered. You need nothing and what you have is all at the land registry. The title is as held at the LR not what you hold.
If anyone just has documents that are transfer documents from seller to buyer either a Transfer or Conveyance then it may not be registered. Best advice is to actually get it registered. You can do it yourself with a from AP1 from LR.
I would keep the lease safe as often LR only scan a black and white copy of the lease and problems can arise from this on a sale.
Most people get their deeds when the mortgage is paid off. You should check to make sure that the lender has actually removed the mortgage charge from the title at the land registry a month or so after the end of the mortgage. Bit of a pain when they don't. Only costs £6 for an up to date copy of the title to confirm this. You just order "Official Copies" of the title.
asterix
Comrade Member
- Location
- Limoges or York
How fortunate we are to have a publicly owned and run organisation like the Land Registry that is so trustworthy that we .. er.. trust it.
You're being robbed, OTH - it's £4.
Dellzegg, by all means keep the stuff if you want but you can line the budgie's cage with them if you prefer. As OTH says, it is now the entry at HMLR which is definitive. That change was introduced by the Land Registration Act 2000 and known as 'dematerialisation' - who says that lawyers have no soul?
In fact it was driven by the Halifax saying they didn't want to build any more deeds depositories and the Abbey having their biggest one burned down.
wowser! In 2000 my deeds were with the Abbey! I shall inspect for scorch marks!
ColinJ
Puzzle game procrastinator!
- Location
- Todmorden - Yorks/Lancs border
I was sent a bundle of documents when I remortgaged my property about 10 years ago and I had been wondering what the legal status of them is now.
I just had a quick look at the Land Registry website but can go no further without registering which I don't to do just now. There appear to be fees for doing most of the searches and the rules changed on 22nd October - from what, to what, I don't know!
I just had a quick look at the Land Registry website but can go no further without registering which I don't to do just now. There appear to be fees for doing most of the searches and the rules changed on 22nd October - from what, to what, I don't know!
Over The Hill
Guru
- Location
- Ridden off into the sunset
Well if you want to be pedantic then it is not HMLR as they dropped the HM a while back!
Dematerialisation has not stopped many law firms still charging clients £30 to stick some photocopies in the "Deed Store" (cupboard).
Old habits...
Over The Hill
Guru
- Location
- Ridden off into the sunset
Actually fees have gone down a bit!
Anyone who has bought or remortgaged within the last 15 years will most certainly have a registered title. Depending where you live it became compulsory everywhere by then.
I'm afraid it went well beyond scorch marks.The whole building went up. It wasn't so bad with the registered titles - although in those days pre-registered deeds still mattered - but several thousand Abbey borrowers up and down the country were not in areas of compulsory registration and had to reconstitute their deeds from scratch. I only did a couple of them, but IIRC the Land Registry had to introduce a special procedure for those poor sods who were mid-sale. It cost the Abbey and their insurers £squillions.
Ha! Our 'cupboard' was a whole floor of our building, and that was just my office. There again, we had been in it since 1795.
We never charged for deeds storage and solicitors are not allowed to charge for storing client files. To be fair, file storage is a significant problem, because the SRA require files to be kept for a minimum of six years and in some cases twice that time.
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