To not realise people can steal houses?

[radiatorsz]

Read this story

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-essex-59069662.amp

wtf!!!

How can this happen and how is it a civil matter? How can you stop this happening?

Yet if someone sells a car they are still paying for, the new owner gets it seized back, don't they? How very odd.

Off to register my house!

@Sparklfairy clearly it’s not a legit sale at £131k, those houses sell for twice as much. The solicitor is complicit in this too.

@OVienna they send you an email alert that just says there has been activity on your account. If it wasn't you (e.g.by getting a new mortgage) you ring up their fraud department and they look into it for you. I have only had to call them once but they were very helpful.

@Hoppinggreen

But the photo was completely different in terms of both age and ethnicity to the original licence.

Wow!

Also, it's not a terribly sophisticated fraud model, it's actually pretty easy if you know what you are doing, and have access to a complicit or useless solicitor.

There are two good ways to protect yourself from these types of fraud. One is Property Alert (or, as the Land Registry puts it, "the aware-winning Property Alert service"; they're very proud of it), which has already been mentioned in the thread. The second is ensuring that your address for service is accurate and up-to-date. This is recorded against the title, and determines where correspondence is sent by the Land Registry when attempts are made to transfer / charge / et cetera titles. You can have multiple addresses for services linked to a title, one of which can be an email address. In most instances, the address for service is merely the title address, which is fine if you live in a given house, but puts you at risk if you reside elsewhere.

Here's the link to sign up for alerts

propertyalert.landregistry.gov.uk/propertyalert/

I'm guessing that they tell you if anyone has done a search etc, but what you can then do to prevent the transfer of the title beats me.

I wonder if there's any general equivalent of the matrimonial rights notice that stops a property being sold while divorce settlements are being negotiated?

@Korbah

I honestly think that the buyer was involved in the process There’s definitely something very dodgy. Who pays £131k for a house worth about £265k, not auctioned or advertised on Rightmove, rushed through and completed quickly, and doesn’t realise something isn’t right?

Also if they used a mortgage company, then they would also flag this as potential money laundering (as should the solicitor).

We bought a flat which was about 30k undervalue and the lender wouldn't lend on it until they were totally satisfied that it was correct.

@Hoppinggreen

I heard about this on the radio a couple of weeks ago. Really shocking and failures by The DVLA, Solicitors and The Police

And the bank which allowed the bank account to be opened. That said, the driving licence would be sufficient if the guy was on the electoral roll.

I assume the fraudsters didn't use an estate agent - as they also check ID. But again it probably would have checked out.

It's quite scary that something like this can happen.

In some ways, I'm surprised this hasn't happened in the past

What makes you think it didn't ?

@OVienna

I've attached a picture of a recent alert I received. In my case it was my mortgage company releasing the hold on my property. I've redacted all my details. I hope it helps

@Longdistance I meant legit in so far as the paperwork checks out, which is as far as the police will look on first callout without evidence/accusation of actual fraud.

@Sparklfairy yes I have unfortunately

@LakieLady it has happened in the past

It's usually when people are mortgage free and maybe spend time in another property so are not in that property for an extended amount of time. I believe as a PP said that the conveyancers are/were complicit too

That poor man. I hope he gets his house back and a lot of compensation for the loss of his possessions and the stress caused.

I now have a new appreciation for my conveyancers and all the searches they do. For example, they insisted they be sent a copy of the sellers’ marriage certificate, as the wife has changed her surname since they bought the property.

@User527294627

There is a civil element and a criminal element. Fraud has definitely been committed, and the perpetrator of that fraud (the person who stole the house) should be charged.

Dealing with the ownership of the house is a civil matter. The solicitors who dealt with the conveyancing have some questions to answer - they clearly haven’t performed adequate identity checks.

Feel so, so sorry for this poor man.

He could sue the buyer’s solicitors though that would be expensive. Maybe complain to the Law Society.

The house thief must also have got a locksmith to change the locks while posing as the owner.

[quote NotSorry]@OVienna

I've attached a picture of a recent alert I received. In my case it was my mortgage company releasing the hold on my property. I've redacted all my details. I hope it helps[/quote]
Thank you!

A better version, not sure if the screen shot was legible

Dear X

Property Alert reference: X

There has been activity on the following property for which you have requested a Property Alert notification.

Property address: X

Title number: X

The activity details are:-

Application lodged by X UK BANK PLC

On: 24.Sep.2021 At: 11:55:31

Customer reference: X

HM Land Registry reference: X

If you are unsure about any of the information provided in this alert, please contact the Property Alert Support team on 0300 006 0478 (Call charges may apply).

If you were not expecting this alert and the activity within it appears suspicious you should take action. You may find that you need to seek legal advice to decide on your next steps.

Possible next steps you may wish to take are:

Contact a solicitor, Citizens Advice or Action Fraud.

Fill in our fraud reporting form, available on our website (www.landregistry.gov.uk/contact-us/report-fraud) and we will call you back during office hours.

Contact our property fraud line on 0300 006 7030 (Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5pm).

HM Land Registry does not provide legal advice. Apart from procedural advice, we will not advise on what action to take, and we will not recommend a professional adviser but we can explain how to find one. Please see our advisory policy (www.landregistry.gov.uk/contact-us/advisory-policy) for further information.

If you require this notification in an alternative format please contact:

Property Alert Support team
[email protected]
Helpline number: 0300 006 0478

Please do not reply to this email as it was sent from an account that cannot receive emails.

HM Land Registry’s ambition is to become the world’s leading land registry for speed, simplicity and an open approach to data. Our mission is: “Your land and property rights: guaranteed and protected”.

We check all mail and attachments for known viruses. However, you are advised that you open any attachments at your own risk. If you have received this email and it was not intended for you, please let us know, then delete it.

We welcome correspondence in English and Welsh.

To see how HM Land Registry treats your personal information, read our Personal information charter: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/land-registry/about/personal-information-charter.

I read that story and it made me go cold. I'm going to assume that the guy who had his house stolen probably has an ever increasing list of people to sue, and rightly so.
I've just signed up to the land registry alert. I'm highly unlikely to find myself in the same position, but it's just a little peace of mind.

Follow this thread with interest, have signed up to the Land Registry alerts. This really scares me!

@CounsellorTroi

The house thief must also have got a locksmith to change the locks while posing as the owner.

Or the thief has locksmithing skills. I doubt the basics are that hard to learn.

I have a restriction on my house. It can’t be bought or sold (or even remortgaged) without an additional check, in person, of the identities of the owners confirmed via a solicitor who isn’t the one dealing with the sale. When we remortgaged the solicitors we contacted for identity checks were very bemused but said it was a great idea that they’d never thought to advise their clients to do. Costs around £45 a letter and takes 10 minutes for peace of mind.

Is that through the land registry @Miss2018 I was wondering if there was some kind of scheme to do that

Ooh, wonder if such a news story inspired Our House by Louise Candlish

Candlish has said that “Our House,” which deserves to be called a literary thriller, was inspired by a case of property fraud she read about in a London newspaper.

Answers own question after googling - yes it was!