Property Deed: Problem With Property Freehold Deed

Biggenhill

Please can anyone give me some advice? I do not know who else to ask.

I bought a property in 2009. The property is in a block with 4 flats.

Last year, I put the property on the market for sale, but was advised that the title deed was wrong, as are the other flats within the block.

I cannot sell the property till the deeds are corrected. The deed I have now belongs to one of the flats and my deed is with another flat within the block.

I believe I was given the wrong advice by the conveyancing solicitor when I was buying it, as they did not check if the deed was correct.

Myself and the 3 other flat owners have instructed a solicitor to act on our behalf to rectify the deed with the land registry.

I paid a fee to the solicitor to resolve the deed issue and to date, I have only received email from him in February 2024.

I have phoned and sent emails asking for updates, but no response. Each time I phone, I get told to leave my name and telephone number and he will get back to me. He does not.

I do not have an update on what has or has not been done.

Who should I complain to regarding;
1. this current solicitor who is handling the deed of rectification for me.
2. the first conveyancing solicitor who gave me bad advice to purchase the property originally.

I look forward to your assistance in advance.

loubel

 Is your title for a different address or is the address correct but the plan wrong? We're these not sent to you by your previous solicitor for checking?

If you aren't happy with the service provided by your new solicitor then raise a complaint with them.

Whether you can complain to your previous solicitors will rather depend on how the error came about. I suspect it was yours though as they would have been relying on you to tell them that the plan was correct and presumably you didn't tell them it wasn't? 

user1977

As above, follow the complaints process for your current solicitor, but it sounds like you'll need further advice about whether your previous solicitor is even liable.

propertyrental

The deed I have now belongs to one of the flats and my deed is with another flat within the block.

So, for example, you thought you were buying Flat 1, and have been living in flat 1, but you are the registered owner at the Land Registry as owning Flat2. Yes?

And the occupant of flat 2 thought he was buying flat 2, but is registered at the LR as the owner of flat 1. Yes?

Your solicitor at the time would have sent you the Title and Plan and asked you to confirm it was what you were expecting to buy. Presumably he sent you the Title and Plan for Flat 2, and you said "Yes, that's what I want to buy".

The only scenario in which your solicitor at the time could be culpable would be if you had consistently told him: "I am buying flat 1" and when he sent you the Title/Plan to flat 2 you said: "No that's wrong" and yet he still submitted a TR1 to the Land Registry for flat 2.