Land Registry questions

Land_Registry

anathematician said:

Hello! I'm in the process of buying a freehold house with an 800-year lease, dated from 1899, mentioned in the charges register. The vendor does not have a copy of the lease, and my solicitor says it should be removed from the title. How long would this process take, given the absence of the lease?

Full thread here for more detail: https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6147647/victorian-house-in-sheffield-is-freehold-but-subject-to-a-lease

Many thanks.

At present several weeks. If there’s an urgency then the conveyancer can request expedition and it will be considered sooner, normally within 2 weeks. 

Expedition reduces the wait time. It doesn’t remove the registration requirements so everything hinges on the application to cancel the notes lease and any supporting evidence. 

Land_Registry

jamielutz1987 said:

Hi @Land_Registry
My wife and I signed and sent across a SEV A form to sever the joint tenancy on a mortgaged BTL we own, to the Land Registry a few weeks ago.
Do we get some kind of confirmation or letter from the LR once it's done?

Yes - please bear in mind that’s unlikely to be for some weeks though due to the impact of Covid 19

AnyvaluedP

If a joint tenancy is severed by agreement so that the owners not hold as tenants in common is there a legal requirement to apply for a Form A restriction? I.e. is there a sanction of any kind for not doing?
Or is it just optional?

Sally_Forth

AnyvaluedP said:

If a joint tenancy is severed by agreement so that the owners not hold as tenants in common is there a legal requirement to apply for a Form A restriction? I.e. is there a sanction of any kind for not doing?
Or is it just optional?

As far as I'm aware there's no requirement, no sanction, entirely optional. It is worth considering though to protect everyone's beneficial interest.

Land_Registry

AnyvaluedP said:

If a joint tenancy is severed by agreement so that the owners not hold as tenants in common is there a legal requirement to apply for a Form A restriction? I.e. is there a sanction of any kind for not doing?
Or is it just optional?

No and No. And entirely optional as we register the legal ownership. The joint tenancy/TIC relates to their beneficial ownerships and these can be split/severed in a variety of ways. That can mean a form A restriction can be applied for but by not doing so does not negate the arrangements made re their beneficial ownerships 
So if they’ve severed, then it’s severed whether a form A is applied for or not. Applying for a form A restriction offers wider protection although only to indicate that a sole surviving legal owner can’t for example sell, mortgage or lease the property for capital monies on their own. 

ladyred1

any idea of email address or contact phone number for land registry please

Land_Registry

ladyred1 said:

any idea of email address or contact phone number for land registry please

Contact options 

Swami_Trinel

Hi @Land_Registry is it possible to access the charges register for properties on line as a "layman". Access to this would help rule properties in or out of my list of possibilities without having to go to the lengths of making an offer, applying for a mortgage and instructing a solicitor. 
Thanks

Sally_Forth

Swami_Trinel said:

Hi @Land_Registry is it possible to access the charges register for properties on line as a "layman".
Thanks

You would need to apply for a copy of the whole register for each title (and pay £3 for each title)
https://eservices.landregistry.gov.uk/eservices/FindAProperty/view/QDSearch.do

Land_Registry

Swami_Trinel said:

Hi @Land_Registry is it possible to access the charges register for properties on line as a "layman". Access to this would help rule properties in or out of my list of possibilities without having to go to the lengths of making an offer, applying for a mortgage and instructing a solicitor. 
Thanks

You can check the register for registered titles/properties online