Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Legal matters

Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you have any legal concerns we suggest you consult a solicitor.

Flat wasn’t registered with land registry when I bought it and now I can’t sell it

14 replies

Martinisinvenice · 17/03/2025 18:15

I’m at the end of my tether with this issue and just looking for any advice/experience of something similar. I bought my leasehold flat in 2022. About six months after buying I realised I’d not had any confirmation that the purchase has been registered successfully with the Land Registry, I chased my solicitors several times and was told the application was pending and that this was usual over a year later and a result of Covid backlogs. I noticed however that other flats in my building that had been purchased after mine had been registered, I therefore chased the land registry myself and was told that the solicitors had not responded to their requisitions and the application had therefore been cancelled. I forwarded their email to the solicitors who said they would now respond to requisitions. Thinking this would then solve the issue, I put my flat up for sale in November last year and put an offer in for a new house. As of now (four months later) my flat is still not registered with the land registry and as such the entire chain is on the verge of collapse as a result, as my solicitors cannot issue draft contracts to my buyer until the flat is registered in my name. I have gone with the same solicitors as I thought this would be easiest in terms of them already dealing with the LR on my behalf, probably stupid as they are clearly incompetent but I thought it would complicate things further to add another party. The solicitors submitted an expedited application to the LR in December but since then there has been a lot of back and forth with the LR requesting further docs and certificates, some of which my solicitors cannot locate. At this point my concern isn’t even that my buyer is going to give up and pull out but that I’ll never actually be able to sell my flat to anybody until it’s registered with the LR in my name, and I’m feeling like this isn’t possible as issues which should have been sorted prior to completion were not. What happens if the docs the LR need cannot be found, what is my legal position? I know my solicitors are liable and I might be eligible for some sort of compensation but this isn’t much help to me if I have this unsaleable flat on my hands, I have a newborn baby and being stuck in a flat is making this stage so much harder than it needs to be due to being on the top floor and not being able to get out and about easily. Can I contact new solicitors to help resolve this or can it only be solved by the current solicitors who I used when buying the flat? Any help would be appreciated!

OP posts:
Silvertulips · 17/03/2025 18:17

Is there an Ombudsman you can contact to make a complaint? Have you made a complaint? You seem passive in this!!

Start kicking up a fuss!

YesThatsATurdOnTheRug · 17/03/2025 18:20

Ask to speak to the Managing Partner at the firm. Calmly but firmly explain what has happened and the consequences it is having for you. You need someone high up the chain at the firm to actually care about this problem.

The LR can be a nightmare but your sold have screwed up badly - because they put unqualified admin staff on conveyancing as there is little to no money in it at all.

ACynicalDad · 17/03/2025 18:25

Ultimately, you can sue the solicitors. Hopefully they can sort it before then.

Spirallingdownwards · 17/03/2025 18:33

You will be able to sue the solicitors for any loss.

I know of one case where a firm of solicitors bought the property that was in issue and provided the funds to enable the person in your position to complete their purchase and paid off the mortgage. Then dealt with getting the title in their name before selling it onwards.

Definitely go through their complaints process setting out your current predicament regarding the purchase and ask them how they propose to enable you to complete your purchase.

filka · 17/03/2025 18:41

I think you need to move or re-post this in Legal Matters

Nextdoor55 · 17/03/2025 18:47

Spirallingdownwards · 17/03/2025 18:33

You will be able to sue the solicitors for any loss.

I know of one case where a firm of solicitors bought the property that was in issue and provided the funds to enable the person in your position to complete their purchase and paid off the mortgage. Then dealt with getting the title in their name before selling it onwards.

Definitely go through their complaints process setting out your current predicament regarding the purchase and ask them how they propose to enable you to complete your purchase.

Edited

This.
Sorry this has happened to you. Some good advice on here.

Shubbypubby · 17/03/2025 20:56

We had a similar situation with the Land Registry- came to light that our house wasn’t registered four years after the sale and the original solicitor hadn’t answered requisitions. Don’t want to be too outing but we eventually found a solicitor who would do the initial registration- our other conveyancers wouldn’t. Ours is an old house and hadn’t been sold before we bought it for many years so the deeds had to be reconsituted. Took ages but we eventually got it sorted. Try contacting different solicitor’s firms and definitely file a complaint against your original conveyancers.

Martinisinvenice · 18/03/2025 15:34

Thanks all, I’ve put a formal complaint in to solicitors now and if this doesn’t resolve it I’ll escalate - does anyone know if it would be to the legal ombudsman or the CLC or some other body?

OP posts:
Whyherewego · 18/03/2025 15:37

Yes there's the SRA you can complain to if they don't resolve this sharpish for you

MinnieMountain · 18/03/2025 19:44

SRA for solicitors, CLC for licensed conveyancers.

Martinisinvenice · 19/03/2025 14:56

I’ve asked another solicitor to check what the requisitions are to see if they can assist and they have mentioned that my mortgage company did a priority search on the application with the LR last week. Does anyone know what this means/why they might have done this?

OP posts:
GingerPaste · 19/04/2025 12:10

That’s standard procedure. It gives priority to your mortgage company for any transactions (transfers, mortgage, etc.).

Did you get any further with this?

Nextdoor55 · 19/04/2025 21:28

Martinisinvenice · 19/03/2025 14:56

I’ve asked another solicitor to check what the requisitions are to see if they can assist and they have mentioned that my mortgage company did a priority search on the application with the LR last week. Does anyone know what this means/why they might have done this?

Contact the LR yourself they're were really helpful when we were in a similar position. They may help.

Harassedevictee · 20/04/2025 14:31

You have done the right thing lodging a complaint. As @Nextdoor55 says phone Land Registry they are really helpful.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread