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Houses being stolen without the owner knowing?

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  • DRP
    DRP Posts: 4,287 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    I've just registered for the title activity monitoring service with the land registry.

    Although the likelihood of issues is very very very low imo, it costs nothing so is worth doing.
  • vectistim
    vectistim Posts: 635 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture
    Moonface wrote: »
    Land Registry recently set up a free property alert service. You can register your property for this service so that if there is any activity on the title you will be notified by email.

    See here: http://www.landregistry.gov.uk/public/property-alert

    That's excellent - slightly annoying it limits you to three properties. I'll have to set up separate accounts using different email addresses
    IANAL etc.
  • terryw
    terryw Posts: 4,396 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Photogenic Combo Breaker
    Out of interest:

    One example where failure to keep the Land Registry updated has had disastrous consequences is where a legal owner, let’s call him Jonathan Smith failed to notify the Land Registry that the title deeds to his property were incorrect. In addition, during his period of ownership, the property had been tenanted from time to time, but had also remained empty for extended periods of time. For the last 20 years, his name had been registered against the property in question incorrectly as ‘Jonathon Smyth’ and he had never attempted to rectify it. The title deeds to his property were subsequently stolen from the property where Mr Smith had unwittingly and perhaps carelessly always kept them. As a result and by design one sneaky minded individual with a penchant for property fraud (likely the burglar himself), made in depth enquiries, obtained fake ID and posed as Mr Jonathon Smyth. Jonathon Smyth then re-financed ‘his’ property to the tune of £500,000 and disappeared into the ether with the proceeds. . Meanwhile, Jonathan Smith’s compensation was massively reduced because of his failure to take proper steps to protect himself.

    Source appears reliable:
    http://www.saracenssolicitors.co.uk/residential-conveyancing/property-fraud-title-fraudsters
    "If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
    Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools"
    Extract from "If" by Rudyard Kipling
  • Land_Registry
    Land_Registry Posts: 6,146 Organisation Representative
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Unfortunately property fraud can happen although the scenario you describe is extremely rare for the simple reason that a 'normal' buyer will invariably visit the property a few times and would probably discover and question why someone was living in it.

    In recent times property fraud has had more to do with mortgage fraud rather than a fraudulent sale simply because a sale would involve multiple parties (buyer, solicitors, lenders etc) whilst a mortgage fraud might be limited to just a single lender.

    The Property Alert service is one safeguard from a Land Registry perspective whilst keeping your address for service up to date and accurate is another - both are mentioned by other posters.
    The Address for service aspect is of course for our own purposes should we need to contact you and you can have up to three addresses (inc email) - this is particularly useful for property owners who do not live at that property and therefore may be at risk of someone intercepting any communications form us.

    The restriction you refer to is a standard restriction used by the vast majority of lenders. You can also apply for a restriction as explained in our online guidance
    That guidance also covers the Property Alert service and keeping your address for service up to date as well. And also explains property fraud on a wider level including the types of scenario where the risks are perhaps greater.
    Official Company Representative
    I am the official company representative of Land Registry. MSE has given permission for me to post in response to queries about the company, so that I can help solve issues. You can see my name on the companies with permission to post list. I am not allowed to tout for business at all. If you believe I am please report it to forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com This does NOT imply any form of approval of my company or its products by MSE"
  • shireknight
    shireknight Posts: 187 Forumite
    Thank you all for your replies, glad to see it's very rare that something like this could happen, I've signed up to the Land Registry alert scheme just in case as well :-)
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