Finding out value of charging orders on property before sale

mdtaylor666 · 13 March 2019 at 6:04AM

I’m helping out my elderly mother in law with her finances as she’s looking to sell her house to move closer to us.
After digging through her mountains of paperwork, and purchasing the land registry document to confirm, she looks to have a number of Charging Orders against the property from debts in the past.
The land registry outlines the date and who the company is who filed the charge, but not the actual value of how much is owed.
Is there a way of finding that out? Or do I have to ring around the companies listed and see if they can tell me.

Thanks,
Mark

silvercar · 13 March 2019 at 9:28AM

You need to contact them to find the total charge. This can be an exercise in itself if some of the charges are old and the companies have changed hands or the debts sold on.

davidmcn · 13 March 2019 at 9:31AM

Also it will need to be your MiL who contacts them, unless you hold Power of Attorney.

D_M_E · 13 March 2019 at 10:56AM

You also need to check who the charging orders were obtained against - were they in her sole name, a (deceased) partner's name, or joint names?

[Deleted User] · 13 March 2019 at 1:21PM

PoA isn't required, just MIL's consent. The easiest way to handle this is to have MIL sat next to you when you make the calls. The companies concerned will ask her some security questions to ensure it is her they're talking to, get her consent, and will then continue the conversation with you. Alternatively, you could write to the companies, enclosing a letter from your MIL giving her authority for you to speak to each other regarding this matter, and then call them.

mdtaylor666 · 13 March 2019 at 4:43PM

Thanks all. The charges were against just her name. Although 2 of the 4 are from a company that no longer exists, and 1 has since been re-sold to a different company.