Conveyancing complaint - advice please

Birdynumnum

Hello Everyone,
I need some advice as I believe I may have a legitimate complaint regarding the services provided by my conveyancing solicitor but as I know nothing about the law I wanted to run it past you guys before paying for a legal consultation.

I recently bought a house and some 3 months later having heard nothing from my conveyancing solicitors called them to ask if the land registry paperwork had been completed and if they were now in possession of my title deeds. The solicitor I had been dealing with was unavailable but I was told they would call me back to advise. I received no callback and upon arriving home yesterday there was a letter from them saying that they had sent the title deeds to my old address 6 days prior to my enquiry, this being December 10th a month ago.

They say that they did call me back but as I had no voicemail facility they were unable to leave a message they hope I will be able to retrieve the deeds if I have not already been informed by the occupiers of my old address that they hold them.

I have been round to my old address which is 3 flats sharing a communal entrance and mailbox, none of the tenants have seen the documents and the owner of the flats who also lives there had been advising me of any mail that came for me which I had been collecting.

The solicitors office is closed until Monday morning so I can't call to ask who signed for the documents, presumably someone did otherwise they would have been returned

What I need to know is how important are the title deeds and can they be easily reproduced.

If someone else is in possession of them do they have any claim to my house.

Should the solicitor have sent them to me without first advising they were doing so, and crucially should they have sent them to a address they know I no longer live at.

Having done the above should I have been notified sooner than a month after the documents were sent.

Basically how important are the title deeds and have the solicitors made a serious error or is it of little consequence.

My girlfriend also bought a house at the same time and her solicitor wrote to advise that they would keep the title deeds for her but she could view or take them at any time, I assumed the same applied to mine and was surprised to find they had been posted to me.

Thanks in anticipation.

Doozergirl

It's all electronic, any paperwork is purely for show or for historical pertinance.

If you go onto the land registry website, you can purchase the title documents directly from them for a few pounds.

This is 2015. No one is going to rock up with a piece of paper and claim your house off you.

No big deal at all.

Birdynumnum

Thanks Doozergirl so the house is safe, anyone know if I have any legitimate complaint against the solicitor, it seems pretty unprofessional to me.

davidmcn

Birdynumnum wrote: »

anyone know if I have any legitimate complaint against the solicitor, it seems pretty unprofessional to me.

If you want a copy of your title, ask them to send it to your new address. Or email it to you.

Posting stuff to a wrong address is probably unprofessional, but as it hasn't caused you any loss I'm not sure it's worthwhile making a complaint.

Alchemilla

Are you sure they have registered title?

Our conveyancer "forgot". Cue letter to the complaints partner of the law firm and 50% off the bill.

terryw

Also ensure that your address for service with the Land Registry is your current address and that your old address has not been registered in error.

Check with the solicitor what was actually sent to the old address. If simply the electronic copies then no problem but documents like guarantees or planning permission might be required in the future.

Birdynumnum

Thanks Everyone good advice, I've never owned a house outright before so have never seen the accompanying documentation. I'm inclined to write or email to ensure that I have a full written record of what is said, assuming the solicitor responds. Of the 4 emails I sent during purchase she only responded to one, do you agree best to put in writing rather than talk on the phone?

Doozergirl

Okay, if you go to the Land Registry website, you can buy the title for what used to be £3 each. Go and have a mooch. You want the title register and title plan.