House deed & orginal certificates

loulou41

I wonder how long does it take to get the copy of the house deed and original certificates etc. solicitor told me when I asked 2 weeks? I completed on the 7th August and still no signs of them. Should I pester him? Thanks

Richard_Webster

If the property is in England and Wales you will not get a deed. There might be some (probably worthless) double glazing or damp proofing guarantees and other miscellaneous paper work.

Registration doesn't take very long but a buyer's solicitor has to wait for the seller's solicitor to get a discharge for the seller's mortgage and these can take a long time sometimes. When he has all the documents he can send them to the Land Registry who turn them round and update the electronic register within a few days. They send an updated Title Information Document (glorified photocopy of electronic register) to buyer's solicitor who will then often send the buyer a copy.

Sending out these copies is not really a priority as it doesn't make any difference to ownership and there is nothing magical about them. Solicitors will have to give time priority to getting people moved whose transactions are still ongoing. In any event you can get another more up to date copy from the Land Registry for £4 whenever you want.