Fraudsters try to steal an owner's home

jimbog

This may be a growing threat:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-38080102

A good time to be reminded of this Land Registry service (especially if you elderly/vulnerable friends or relatives):

https://propertyalert.landregistry.gov.uk/

agrinnall

I'd just read the story before I came on here, but I didn't know about the alert service, so I may well sign up to keep a watch on my mum's house.

marksoton

Scum.

But i can't see how their plan would ever have come to fruition.

moneyistooshorttomention

Yep...been signed up with the LR service for a while now on current house.

I duly get an email through at intervals from them - telling me what I wish to hear (ie that there has been no action on my account)

- so you won't be reading any newspaper articles about little white-haired woman standing there blinking innocently at a policeman - whilst a very battered-looking would-be thief is laid out flat on the ground from someone having obviously "taken a swing at them":rotfl:

G_M

marksoton wrote: »

Scum.

But i can't see how their plan would ever have come to fruition.

Since it appears the property had already been transferred into the names of the perps, the sale at auction could have gone through.

Whether the perps would/could have hung around for the requisit 28 days (though this might have been shortened in the Sale Particulars?) until full payment was added to the 10% on the day of the sale, who knows?

But if the story of tenants held up, the buyer (presumably a BTL) might have been persuaded not to go round till after Completion, so that the true owner knew nothing of the sale till the perps had got the full sale amount and presumably headed off to South America.

It costs nothing and makes sense to sign up to the LR Alert system, and as the OP says, do so on your elderly /vulnerable relatives' property too - you can sign up to any property - not just your own.

Rosemary7391

I'm a bit baffled by this suggestion:

BBC wrote:

"It's very simple. The government should make it the law that if you're going to change the land registry deeds you should need two signatures," Mr To said.

Who should sign? The owner and...?

(Off topic totally: why is almost every paragraph in that article a single sentence?)

marksoton

G_M wrote: »

Since it appears the property had already been transferred into the names of the perps, the sale at auction could have gone through.

Whether the perps would/could have hung around for the requisit 28 days (though this might have been shortened in the Sale Particulars?) until full payment was added to the 10% on the day of the sale, who knows?

But if the story of tenants held up, the buyer (presumably a BTL) might have been persuaded not to go round till after Completion, so that the true owner knew nothing of the sale till the perps had got the full sale amount and presumably headed off to South America.

It costs nothing and makes sense to sign up to the LR Alert system, and as the OP says, do so on your elderly /vulnerable relatives' property too - you can sign up to any property - not just your own.

Fair point. But that'd be a dumbass BTL buyer to do so blind....

G_M

marksoton wrote: »

Fair point. But that'd be a dumbass BTL buyer to do so blind....

Agreed.

But have you been to any auctions.....? Full of "dumbass BTL buyer"s hoping for a bargain. If the price is right...........

Dawning

Just seen this story on the local news.
Thanks for the Land Registry alert link - have signed up and registered my house.

fun4everyone

Any equivalent for Scottish propertys? Scary story.

karcher

jimbog wrote: »

This may be a growing threat:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-38080102

A good time to be reminded of this Land Registry service (especially if you elderly/vulnerable friends or relatives):

https://propertyalert.landregistry.gov.uk/

Quite disturbing that this could be done so easily.

I didn't know about the alert system. Thanks for the link.