How to find out about possible lien on my late mother's property?

itm2

I am dealing with the estate of my mother, who passed away last month. In March 2019 she received a grant from the Council for adaptations to the bathroom in her house. The cost of the works exceeded the usual grant amount by £1,900 (i.e. the grant is usually £5k, but the cost of the works was £6,900).
At the time, the council said that they may reclaim the £1,900 if the applicant disposes of the premises within 10 years. My sister, who was dealing with the Council, vaguely remembers that there was talk of a lien being placed on Mum's property for this purpose, but isn't sure.
Does anyone know how I can find out about any lien which may have been put in place on my Mum's property?

Keep_pedalling

If there is there will be a restriction on her house which will show up on the land registry.

https://www.gov.uk/search-property-information-land-registry

itm2

I did search the land registry but it didn't really provide much information - just the address of the property and the type of tenure (i.e. freehold). There's an option to purchase a copy of the Title Register for £3 - is that where this sort of information would be held?

RAS

Just checking which country your mother lived in? Scottish rules are different for example.

itm2

RAS said:

Just checking which country your mother lived in? Scottish rules are different for example.

Her house is in England (Kent)

RAS

In which case, spend that £3 as that's were any restrictions should be listed. If you are going to sell the house or transfer ownership, you'll need to know anyway.

itm2

I've purchased the Title Register, and it doesn't mention a lien. However I also phoned the Land Registry and they said that this does not necessarily mean that there is not a lien on the property - it could have been put in place via a document which the Land Registry did not have access to. He recommended that I contact a solicitor/conveyancer to get more help.
:0(

Marcon

itm2 said:

I've purchased the Title Register, and it doesn't mention a lien. However I also phoned the Land Registry and they said that this does not necessarily mean that there is not a lien on the property - it could have been put in place via a document which the Land Registry did not have access to. He recommended that I contact a solicitor/conveyancer to get more help.
:0(

It can be done contractually, rather than by a court judgement. The former is more likely given the modest amount of debt and the fact you're dealing with a local council. A solicitor won't be able to help, but the good news is that your next step is free - you write to the council, say what you've said in your post above, and ask the council to confirm the position/send you a copy of any documentation establishing a lien if one exists.