Deeds to our property

Apologies if this has already been said, it's all electronic now so you shouldn't need a copy. If you are selling your solicitor will get a copy if he needs it.

Can you please tell me how you sign up to receive that information, Oppsadaisy1 I would like to do that.

You’ll find that most records are now digital and available via the Land Registry

I also see that several people have stated how they've got it on record with the Land Registry if anyone is doing anything re their property. So was I at the time the neighbours decided to steal my retaining wall - and it did not protect me from that. I'm used to getting a little email at intervals saying "No activity on your account" - but there then came an email saying "such and such solicitors are taking action on your account" (or words to that effect). That was a shock - as I'd taken that precaution to protect myself. It was the Land Registry's own solicitors taking that action - ie to help my lower neighbour grab my retaining wall off me (in the course of having their house Registered for the first time). I fought back obviously - but, as stated above, the LR gave them that bit of my garden (even though at least I managed to lob that expensive future bill at their house in the course of their thieving - which is the plus side of that).

I still think it's worth people doing that thing with the LR - but it isn't the full answer people think it is to protect their property. Can't recall the details - but I've flung another "ring of protection" round my property since - in case of any further attempts at theft. As far as I recollect - it equals I have to be notified/give my consent to any further moving around of my borders. Obviously that won't be possible for me personally to do that when I die and no longer need my house - but I've got a proper will with a local solicitor and I'll leave them to sort that out.

I felt it necessary because this is such a "land grab" area imo. Next door neighbours were trying to make out they had the right to use my front garden to park in/known road-owners (it's an unadopted road) tried to make out they owned a communal bit of land that no-one actually owns and we all managed to get new "known road-owners" to accept that our land is OUR land and not theirs (but it took a fight to do so). I kept finding various neighbours trespassing in my garden generally. It has been quite a long hard fight to get and keep the neighbours out of my garden (apart from the bit one of them stole). I've had to put up a gate, put up security cameras and come out and yell at them on various occasions before they finally shut up and behaved normally and argue with the "known road-owner" re our communal land (not on anyone's title plan - and so belongs to all of us).

The oldest Deeds to my home, an old stone built farm house, are beautifully hand written in Copperplate on thick Vellum, tied with bright coloured tapes. The history of the people buying and selling is so interesting.
As a little 'aside' - my GD has just bought her first home - a lovely 2 bed terrace - but has paid £15,000 more than we paid for my house plus 23 acres of land over 30 years ago!! Admittedly, the value of money and wages today are far different to those earned when we bought my home!!

Poppyred

Recently found out that our house bought in 1986 is not registered with the Land Registry. We do have the deeds though.

Better get it Registered up asap. Just in case. It seems to depend a bit on what part of the country one is in - but there are parts where there are a lot of boundary disputes/neighbours trying to nick land that is either someone else's or communal. Voice of experience - as I live in one of those areas and am forever hearing tales of this sort of thing happening and a bit of my own garden has been stolen off me by a neighbour (albeit I can see a plus side - as it's my retaining wall and has been on my title plan for over 20 years - and yet they managed to steal it when they got their house Registered for the first time and the plus side is it needs some very expensive work and they didn't seem to realise/care about that before - but that bill will now belong to their house and not mine).

NotSpaghetti

Our deeds are also hand written with seals and say that we must maintain rooms for 2 maids, Tiley
They also allow candlemakers, sweeps, tinsmiths, boot boys, coalmen, dairymen and other trades to have access via our neighbours at all times of day and night - as required. It lists numerous tradespeople.

And the block of 3 properties (of which ours is one) must never cut down any mature trees or the land on which the houses sit will revert to the Marquis of Anglesey!

Old deeds are very interesting!

That’s fascinating, NotSpaghetti.

The deeds to my friend’s little two up two down stated that she couldn’t brew beer in the cellar but she was allowed to make candles and soap. It wasn’t even big enough to stand up in.

Yes, I had to, twice. It is compulsory now to register with the Land Registry on change of title, but of course, there are many that remain unregistered.
You don't say why you need to see them, but I would begin with the Land Registry - they are helpful. They may be able to send you the information they hold, which may be enough. Otherwise they may be helpful in pointing you in the right direction.

Silvergirl

SporeRB

We have a copy of our title deeds documents. It was sent to us by our mortgage provider as soon as we finished paying our mortgage.
An electronic copy of the documents is kept by the Land Registry.

Can I please ask, did you have to pay the mortgage provider to transfer the deeds to yourself? Our provider did not automatically sending us the deeds when we paid off the mortgage. Ten years on our solicitor asked for them to be transferred and it cost us upwards of £2000. We were shocked.

No, the bundle of documents to the title deeds were sent free of charge by Nationwide Building Society together with a letter of thanks for choosing them as our mortgage provider.

It became too cumbersome for solicitors/lenders to store large bundles of deeds after registration at the Land Registry so they mostly sent the old deeds to the client for them to keep. Some lenders just shredded them which was sad if they were historical. Apart from a copy of the title and plan you still need to provide planning permissions/guarantees etc when you sell otherwise you have to pay for replacements which can be expensive! There's no charge from your lender when your mortgage is discharged and they deal with the formalities.

NotSpaghetti

Our deeds are also hand written with seals and say that we must maintain rooms for 2 maids, Tiley
They also allow candlemakers, sweeps, tinsmiths, boot boys, coalmen, dairymen and other trades to have access via our neighbours at all times of day and night - as required. It lists numerous tradespeople.

And the block of 3 properties (of which ours is one) must never cut down any mature trees or the land on which the houses sit will revert to the Marquis of Anglesey!

Old deeds are very interesting!

Oh I love this thread
Bringing back so many memories. Ours said we had dipping rights in the local Brook

Having left our deeds with a local solicitor which we thought would be easier for the family I was upset to see that they had moved and we knew nothing about it. I had to go into the shop beneath the offices to find out where they had moved to. It was the other side of London. I managed to phone them and asked for our deeds to be returned to us and questioned why they had not informed us of their move and new address. They seemed surprised that I now wanted them returned.

We have our deeds sent when our mortgage was finished.
Interesting reading we are not allowed to sell alcohol due to the fact the land was originally owned by a local brewery.
We are also registered with land registry to inform us of any activity of anyone wanting access.

Our deeds are also hand written with seals and say that we must maintain rooms for 2 maids, Tiley
They also allow candlemakers, sweeps, tinsmiths, boot boys, coalmen, dairymen and other trades to have access via our neighbours at all times of day and night - as required. It lists numerous tradespeople.

And the block of 3 properties (of which ours is one) must never cut down any mature trees or the land on which the houses sit will revert to the Marquis of Anglesey!

Old deeds are very interesting!

Oopsadaisy1

We didn’t get our deeds sent to us by our Mortgage Company, just a letter congratulating us!

We sent off for our copy from the Land Registry, just a piece of A4, very disappointing, I expected reams of paperwork tied up in green ribbon as we had with another property we owned some 40 yrs ago.

This bought back fond memories of deeds we held for a 16th century cottage we owned. There were pages and pages all in beautiful hand written script a lot on huge pieces of paper with seals on. When we sold it we left them for the new owner. Now you buy a house and the deeds are just a miserable piece of A4 paper

It was after reading Our House that I signed up for the Land Registry service, Witzend. My heart sank a bit when I had an email from them recently, but it was just to confirm that there’d been no activity. Phew!

Our deeds were sent to us by the Halifax when we paid off the mortgage. No charge.

Our local history society appealed recently to people not to throw away their deeds just because they no longer need to keep them. There’s a lot of historical interest in the older ones. Our whole street was once passed on to the owner’s grandchildren - it was interesting to see that while half of them were in low-paid manual jobs, one lived in a French chateau and another was married to a member of the aristocracy.

Oopsadaisy1

Just to add, we also signed up to receive any info regarding anyone wanting to look at our deeds.

Just in case anyone with criminal tendencies wanted access to them.

We’ve signed up for that, too - and not just ours, but dds’ too.
They notify you of any activity - and it’s free.

It’s happened that houses have been sold by criminals without the owners’ knowledge!* So just as well to be prepared.

*someone wrote a novel on that theme - IIRC ‘Our House’. In that case, IIRC, it was done by a dodgy ex spouse.

Just to add, we also signed up to receive any info regarding anyone wanting to look at our deeds.

Just in case anyone with criminal tendencies wanted access to them.

We didn’t get our deeds sent to us by our Mortgage Company, just a letter congratulating us!

We sent off for our copy from the Land Registry, just a piece of A4, very disappointing, I expected reams of paperwork tied up in green ribbon as we had with another property we owned some 40 yrs ago.

SporeRB

We have a copy of our title deeds documents. It was sent to us by our mortgage provider as soon as we finished paying our mortgage.
An electronic copy of the documents is kept by the Land Registry.

Can I please ask, did you have to pay the mortgage provider to transfer the deeds to yourself? Our provider did not automatically sending us the deeds when we paid off the mortgage. Ten years on our solicitor asked for them to be transferred and it cost us upwards of £2000. We were shocked.

I wonder who told you they didn't hold the deeds, jeanie?

Did you make an appointment with your solicitor and ask to see the deeds in person? Our solicitors moved location, the two who had dealt with us over the years had left so we asked to see our deeds and our wills, just to make sure they still had them. The person on the phone said she didn't know, but didn't think so.
The solicitor we went to see produced them from their safe for us.

We also have a copy of our deeds but that was from years ago.

Thank you everyone much appreciated the swift responses.

Recently found out that our house bought in 1986 is not registered with the Land Registry. We do have the deeds though.

We have a copy of our title deeds documents. It was sent to us by our mortgage provider as soon as we finished paying our mortgage.
An electronic copy of the documents is kept by the Land Registry.

www.gov.uk/get-information-about-property-and-land/search-the-register