Legal Q&A: we haven't heard from the conveyancer who is registering our property title deeds — what should we do?
Question: We completed the purchase of our house about eight months ago but have only just realised that we have heard nothing from our conveyancer since the telephone call when he said we had completed and could pick up the keys from the estate agent.
He said he’d register our title. Shouldn’t we have had something in writing from him, or some deeds?
Answer: You should indeed have received written confirmation of completion from your conveyancer.
Within 30 days of the completion of your purchase of your new house your conveyancer should have submitted a stamp duty return to HM Revenue & Customs and paid any stamp duty due on your behalf. The conveyancer should also have applied to the Land Registry to register your title to the property.
Once your title to the property is registered, HM Land Registry will issue a Title Information Document to your conveyancer who should provide you with a copy of this.
They should also give you any documents that the seller’s solicitor handed over on completion which relate to the property.
Contact your conveyancer to find out what is happening. There may have been an oversight and the post-completion procedures forgotten.
Or there may be a delay if, for example, the Land Registry has raised requisitions regarding the registration of your title. You can always call the Land Registry for an update.
If you are unhappy with the service you have had from your conveyancer tell them so, and ask for details of the firm’s complaints procedure so you can take the matter further.
These answers can only be a very brief commentary on the issues raised and should not be relied on as legal advice. No liability is accepted for such reliance. If you have similar issues, you should obtain advice from a solicitor.
If you have a question for Fiona McNulty, please email legalsolutions@standard.co.uk or write to Legal Solutions, Homes & Property, Evening Standard, 2 Derry Street, W8 5EE. Questions cannot be answered individually, but we will try to feature them here. Fiona McNulty is a solicitor specialising in residential property.
