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Solicitor want me to Store Deeds

Hello, I bought a flat 4 years ago using a solicitor. The solicitor have now contacted me and stating that 'due to issues with their storage facility' they would like to send the deeds to me for safekeeping.

They ask me to contact them to arrange for them to pass them onto me. However, I'd rather they stored them just for peace of mind. Do I have to accept their suggestion or can I insist they keep them?
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Comments

  • McKneff
    McKneff Posts: 38,857 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    You cant insist that they hold them.
    They have more or less said that they have nowhere to store them.

    I have mine at home in a fireproof safe.
    make the most of it, we are only here for the weekend.
    and we will never, ever return.
  • Mallotum_X
    Mallotum_X Posts: 2,591 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    Dont forget deeds no longer mean what they once did. The electronic record at the Land Registry is the important one. Nice to have but not the precious document they once were.

    I dont have the deeds for my house, previous owners didnt pass them on, which is a shame but no big deal.
  • googler
    googler Posts: 16,103 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Do you own it outright, or do you have a mortgage for it?
  • G_M
    G_M Posts: 51,977 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    edited 1 March 2011 at 1:52PM
    Land Registry registration is what proves who owns what property nowadays, not the paper deeds.

    Amongst the papers the solicitor will send you may well be documents of historic interest, and possibly Conveyances relevant to the property, as well as searches etc. These are useful when you come to sell so should be kept safely, but ultimately it is the LR that is important.

    Presumably you have no mortgage or the Lender would be keeping it all?

    Options are to buy a fireproof safe to keep at home, or pay for a bank deposit box. Personally I too have a small fire proof safe at home.
  • united4ever
    united4ever Posts: 530 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 100 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Its a shared ownership flat - I have a mortgage for my 60%. Ok, I will store them in my home. Thanks for the responses.
  • When I was in my last flat, the mortgate co sent me all the deeds/paperwork for my property totally out of the blue one day, with a covering letter saying they 'no longer needed them'. I guess as other posters said, it's not such a requirement now the LR has electronic records. I was a bit peeved though - if they'd got lost in the post or something I'd never have been any the wiser! They just randomly arrived - no separate letter, not recorded - nothing!
  • Richard_Webster
    Richard_Webster Posts: 7,646 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    If it is flat then PLEASE DO NOT LOSE THE LEASE! The main evidence of title - ownership is electronic - but the wording of the lease is not so secure and buyers' solicitors want to know where the original lease is.

    It is still required to be produced and often the Land Registry copies are substandard - particularly with older London Leases when all they got on first registration 50 years ago was a grotty carbon copy which when scanned in is totally unreadable now.
    RICHARD WEBSTER

    As a retired conveyancing solicitor I believe the information given in the post to be useful assuming any properties concerned are in England/Wales but I accept no liability for it.
  • googler
    googler Posts: 16,103 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    OP, if the solicitor has 'issues' with their storage, then why would you think their 'safe keeping' was any safer than your house?
  • property.advert
    property.advert Posts: 4,087 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Bank safe deposit box - fairly cheap and as secure as it can be really.
  • Incyder
    Incyder Posts: 2,016 Forumite
    I was in a lloyds branch recently and asked about hiring one. They said we have none here.
    So not every branch/bank will do them.

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1251150/Barclays-loses-customers-safety-deposit-box-containing-190-000-valuables.html
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