Undischarged paid up mortgage with Abbey National

snowlover

We are currently trying to sell our house we bought 40 years ago but registry check by lawyer indicated our mortgage (paid off decades ago) had never been discharged. Our lawyer has told us we need mortgage account number to have it discharged but hours on the phone to Santander (who took over Abbey national) plus a written enquiry has got us nowhere. Grateful for any advice as this is topping the sale of our home going ahead.

DE_612183

Is the mortgage number not on the charges of the deeds?

user1977

I would raise a complaint, to get it on to a desk of somebody able to deal with "difficult" matters. Onus should be on Santander to show why they want to retain the charge over the property...

Hoenir

snowlover said:

Our lawyer has told us we need mortgage account number to have it discharged but hours on the phone to Santander (who took over Abbey national) plus a written enquiry has got us nowhere. 

If it was decades ago. Then there's a high possibility that any online mortgage loan account record would have been erased. Probably during a system upgrade. When did you send the written response. Have you actually received a response, if so what was said. 

silvercar

What you actually need is for Santander to allow for the removal of the charge ie they are happy they have no outstanding secured loan against the property.

user1977

silvercar said:

What you actually need is for Santander to allow for the removal of the charge ie they are happy they have no outstanding secured loan against the property.

As I said, it needs to be turned around in that fashion i.e. "if you can't find any mortgage accounts relating to us or this property, why do you not want to discharge it?"

But quite a common problem, I'm sure the solicitor will have encountered it before.