Solicitors lost my Grans deeds!

Helpless_2

My elderly grandparents have found themselves in financial trouble, they have been forced to sell a small piece of land they bought many decades ago. Thay have found a buyer but the solicitors have lost their deeds!

As my Gran is very elderly and has had several strokes, she has asked me to deal with it and i dont have a clue!

I have continuously rang the solicitors daily for two weeks but the solicitor wont speak to me and has told the receptionist there is nothing he can do.

The land is not registered with the land registry as the solicitors receptionist said it was purchased too long ago....

What can i do if the solicitor wont even speak to me?

Please help, any advise would be greatly apreciated.

Thrugelmir

What makes you believe its the solicitors that have mislaid the deeds?

kingstreet

Are you absolutely sure the deeds were in the possession of the solicitor?

If so, write to the solicitor, setting out exactly what you believe has happened and tell them what you want them to do to rectify the matter.

Take a copy and forward the original to them by recorded delivery.

This is a first step in making a formal complaint.

k66yla

Would the Land Registry Office have details or is that only for property?

debiie01

I dont know much about all this but think the first thing I would do, is get a letter from your grandparents instructing their solicitor to deal with you going forward on this matter - he does not have to accept your verbal confirmation but cannot ignore a written instruction.

If your grandparents have any paperwork at all in relation to the original sale, that implies that the solicitors were involved with the original sale, then I would send them copies.

As the solicitor to respond to all the questions you have and tell them that you wish the matter to be treated as a formal complaint, given that your recent phone calls have left you with the impression that the firm evasive and reluctant to help.

I would try and speak to someone at the citizens advice bureau, who may be able to give you independant legal advice - they are there to help those who cant afford to pay for such services and this may be very helpful.

I would also contact the land registry office and explain your predicament to them - perhaps they can advise what can be done in the event that the deeds cant be found?

Good luck

opinions4u

1) What evidence do you have that the solicitors have the deeds in the first place?

2) It is possible for title deeds to be reconstructed. But slow going.

So there is hope.

Helpless_2

Thank you all so much for your help, in answer to your questions...

We were told by the receptionist that there was a file on her system for the deeds, we collected them but they were just general documents not the deeds, we went back she apologised and said we were given the documents file not the deeds file?? So we went back 24hrs later to collect them. When we did this the receptionist said they could not locate them. They had a record of having both the documents and deeds on their computer but no hard file. The receptionist said she would pass it over to one of the partners, but he has not contacted us and will not take my calls......?? Unfortunately the land is not registered with the land registry....

david39

It sounds as though the solicitors acted for your grandparents in the purchase of the land, as they produced a file that said so.

However, it is not necessary that they ever kept the deeds other than for a short time while the transaction was completed or, maybe, your grandparents at some stage asked for the deeds back as some form of security for a loan or mortgage. If this was the case, the file that the solicitor originally handed to you would undoubtedly contain a document signed by your relative(s) as a receipt to show that the deeds had been handed over or, at least, some correspndence on the subject. Did you see anything like that in the file?

The solicitor will be unwilling to talk to you because he does not have authority from your grandparents to discuss their affairs with you - although, by the same token, he should not have handed the file to you either. You need them to instruct him to talk to you as their representative.

Conrad

Threaten them with a complaint to the Solicitors Regulatory Organisation! Tell them this in writing and by phone. This assumes they have written authority from your relative for you to act for her.

xylophone

I take it that your grandmother is still compos mentis though physically disabled. Prepare a letter of authority for you to act on her behalf and ask her to sign and date it.
Send this letter together with your own letter as advised by Kingstreet above. If the solicitors have indeed lost the deeds then it may be that they can be required to give some sort of indemnity to allow the land to be sold.

vax2002

Why on EARTH would they allow someone to keep deeds to land ?
You only EVER EVER EVER allow someone your deeds if it is a requirement of a loan that they are held as security.
Forget all the rubbish about loosing them in fires, the solicitors can catch fire as well.
Good Luck !
you will need it