Do we needs house deeds?

Tinky · 07-12-2013, 17:33

I seem to remember hearing/reading somewhere that we no longer require to have house deeds. We recently paid off a second mortgage, to obtain the second mortgage it was a condition that we surrendered our house deeds to the lenders. The mortgage was finally paid off in September, despite requests we haven't has them back.
a) Should we expect to have them returned?
b) Would they be required if we decided to sell?

I'd appreciate your responses.

madmax215 · 07-12-2013, 17:41

Yes to both. I just sold a house 5 months ago and the solicitor needed them to transfer the house. Get hold of a solicitor and ask them to contact the firm with the deeds and have them transfered back.

Tinky · 07-12-2013, 17:51

Many thanks madmax I will continue to pursue the matter, trouble is, I suspect that after ten years they don't know who has them i.e. the building society or the solicitors. Do you know if they are obliged by law to return them?

---------- Post added at 18:51 ---------- Previous post was at 18:49 ----------

Quote:

Originally Posted by heero_yuy

Our current lender only needed a copy of the deeds so we currently have them. They are a legal document and are needed when property is traded.

Thank you heero, if copies are acceptable then we should be OK as I had the foresight to take photocopies.

madmax215 · 07-12-2013, 17:56

You should be able to get a real copy through the land registy dept in the county council, ask them.

Tinky · 07-12-2013, 18:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by madmax215

You should be able to get a real copy through the land registry dept in the county council, ask them.

But surely they would be copies, just like I already have, the originals being held by the mortgage lenders.

**Maggy** · 07-12-2013, 18:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tinky

But surely they would be copies, just like I already have, the originals being held by the mortgage lenders.

Who are they? Santander?

**Hugh** · 07-12-2013, 18:30

When we paid off our mortgage, Halifax gave us back the house deeds.

spreadsheet · 07-12-2013, 18:31

It's mostly done online now and recorded electronically

you can get deeds replaced if you have lost them but the whole thing is largely a moot point

back in the good old days of crime what you would do was take about six mortgages out on the same property and put them all through at the same time

typically all the money would get transferred and you would have scarpered to Marbella by the time it was noticed that one of the lenders was not to be recipient of the deeds

Tinky · 07-12-2013, 18:46

We shouldn't really be having this problem, I thought they would have been returned automatically. I will once again request their return, surely they can't refuse, unless of course they have been destroyed.

spreadsheet · 07-12-2013, 18:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tinky

We shouldn't really be having this problem, I thought they would have been returned automatically. I will once again request their return, surely they can't refuse, unless of course they have been destroyed.

wouldn't worry too much about it as a pucker solicitor will iron it out for you during conveyancing - should a sale occur

Tinky · 07-12-2013, 18:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by spreadsheet

wouldn't worry too much about it as a pucker solicitor will iron it out for you during conveyancing - should a sale occur

No doubt, and charge us the earth for doing so. Far better I pursue the matter myself, a letter will be in the post come Monday, I can assure you. Thanks everyone for your help.