Is my solicitor conning me?

Mortgage_&_debt_free

My Mother passed away nearly 2 years ago. Once probate had been granted we realised we needed to change the title deed of my father's house for IT purposes.

I asked a local solicitor to do this. We (myself, father & brother) were sent the forms, which were duly signed & returned.

It's now been 6 months and whenever I ring up the solicitor says it shouldn't be long. I paid over £400 for the fees, land registry charges, etc.

I contacted the land registry by email last week and they said they have no record of an application to register my Father's property (it wasn't previously registered as it was built before it was required).

Am I jumping the gun i.e. is does changing the title deeds require a registration with the land registry or is this done through another route? If it does require registration am I right to be suspicious that there is no record of an application at the land registry?

I need to be aware of the facts before I contact my solicitor tomorrow and would appreciate any advice.

Thank you

Fire_Fox

Has it occurred to you that the application may have got lost in the post or misfiled at either the solicitors or the land registry? Why on earth would your first thought be that a professional would be conning you??

G_M

FF is right. 'Conning' is unlikely. However the registration should not take this long. Yes it should be done via the Land Registry. A new registration can take longer than a simple name change, but even so the LR should have a record of the application by now. However it's possible the solicitor has encountered some problem/delay getting the Title documents together as it is an unregistered property, but they should really be keeping you informed.

Write (don't ring) and politely ask
1) where in the registration process the matter has reached
2) for an explanation for the delay
3) and for their estimated date for this matter to be concluded

By writing, you a) create a record of your enquiry and b) require a written response - a verbal, telephone response may be less clear or you may misunderstand it. If it's written, you can consider it in your own good time. The solicitor will also only commit to writing something he has properly considered, rather than an off-the-cuff response on the phone.

Mortgage_&_debt_free

Thanks to both FF & G_M for your considered responses.
I think my concern and suspicion stems from a horrendous (& hugely expensive) experience with a different solicitor when sorting out my late Mother's will, which has probably coloured my judgement.

I will email the solicitor with the points you made and hopefully that will do the trick.

Thanks again for your comments, they're much appreciated.

G_M

Sorry : let me re-iterate and amend:

Write (don't ring or email) and politely ask..........

edit: oh! and for the avoidance of doubt

Write (don't ring or email or text) and politely ask.....