Deeds

[lafrancaise]

What is the importance of the deeds to a house? If they went missing or destroyed would this be a problem?

[seatrout]

It depends whether the property is registered with the Land Registry or not. If it is - and most properties are - then the deeds are of no real significance as the Land Registry will have recorded etails of everything that concerns the property. If you need a copy of the Land Registry entry this can be got on payment of a fee.

If the property is not registered then the title deeds are important - if they are lost or destroyed you would need to swear a declaration explaining what has happened to them. An application would then need to be made to the Land registry for the title to be registered and the LR will check to see if any other claims have been made in respect of the property. It can get a bit messy so you would need to see a solicitor if you have lost them

[lafrancaise]

Thank you seatrout for such a quick answer. How would I know if it was registered with the Land Registery?

[Didwot]

Check on line at
http://www.landregisteronline.gov.uk/lro/servl et/TitleSearchServlet

[themas]

It is not always the case that the deeds are unimportant if the property is registered. If the house is old they may well contain information which is not recorded in full at the Land Registry (eg large scale detailed plans) which could be valuable in the case of a dispute. It is always best to make sure they are kept safe.

[lady_p_gold]

I thought Deeds had long been done away with ....