Buying - Land Registry Help

Brob

Hi,

We bought a flat in June of 2007 and have now just received a letter from our solicitor stating that we need to pay the Land Registry consent fee as the seller won't pay it.

Now I have an itemised list of things we payed for from the solicitor which they supplied and the land registry fee of £150 was paid.

Do we need to pay this or should it be up to the seller to pay this.

Any advice would be a big help.

Thanks

Brob

anyone with any info would be a big help

Richard_Webster

You really need to get your solicitor to explain this in more detail. Go back and say you don't understand and you want more explanation.

I can only guess what it is and it could be on the lines I suggest below. If the lease has wording in it that requires you to give notice of the transfer to the Landlord or his managing agents it may also say that a buyer can't be registered at the Land Registry without the landlord's consent which will be forthcoming if notice of transfer has been given and a fee paid. Some landlords charge a nice fat fee for this and justify it by making the buyer sign an unnecessary deed of covenant for which a suitable charge is also made.

If it is this then it probably is your responsibility but your solicitor should have explained this to you and either collected the money from you before completion for it or warned you that a further sum might be needed. Usually a buyer's solicitor will ask about any such fees in the set of inquiries normally directed at the landlord/managing agents via the seller's solicitor before contracts are exchanged.

dekh

Hi Bob,

Could you PM me a copy of the quote from the solicitor and the itemised list/bill to take a look at?

Not promising but ...

Cheers

dekh

Managed to get some info...

There is no such thing as a Land registry "consent" fee. The land Registry charges registration and administration fees.

This looks as if it is a lessor's registration fee, in which case who pays is governed by the wording of the lease.

Clarification should be sought about which of the two possibilities is being referred to.

Hope that helps.