Updating names on the land register

[AccidentallyRunToWindsor]

I have sold my house and am waiting to exchange and my solicitor has just realised my surname on the land registry is different to the name in my mortgage etc (I did tell him this when I put the house on the market 4 months ago but never mind)

My buyers solicitor is insisting that this is changed before exchange- does anyone have any idea how long this might take?

Does it need to be changed? Can't your solicitor verify you are the same person? Why did your name change? Marriage?

I've got divorced but at the point I bought my ex out, I didn't have my DA so had to buy in my married name.

I have asked my solicitor if I'm able to just use my married name for the sale, it matches my passport still and they never came back to me- is that an option then? Sounds daft but I've never sold a house before.

You shouldn't jabbed to change it surely? I sold my house that was registered in my maiden name. I'm I just had to show the solicitor my marriage certificate to prove it was me. Never had to change anything.

My old house had my maiden name on the deeds and my married name on the mortgage as we remortgaged sometime after getting married but never updated the land registry. I was just asked for our marriage certificate when we sold, nothing else was mentioned.

Ok this is all interesting Thankyou, apparently it's my buyers solicitor that's insisting it's changed. They have ID in both names (passport is married, driving licence back to maiden name) as well as my DA and my marriage certificate so feels like overkill but I was sort of going along with it.

If the buyers want it changing then you will have to as they may out

I changed my name by deed poll and physically went into the LR ( Tunbridge Wells) to change it on my deeds. The woman was a bit surprised and not awfully accommodating, (" Well, I don't know, usually a solicitor does this") but I did get it changed there and then. This was 15 years ago though.

I had this when I sold and all I had to provide was a copy of my marriage certificate to prove the name change. Your solicitor verifies you are who you say you are for the purposes of the sale so the LR doesn't need to be updated before exchange. I think the buyers sol is just trying it on/being awkward.

@AccidentallyRunToWindsor our buyers solicitor did exactly this.
He was awkward about everything and wasn't having it. My name on the land registry was my maiden name and married name on the mortgage.

My solicitor had to apply to the land registry to get it amended. They refused to exchange without it.
It took about a week as they put it through as urgent.

Thanks @fedupathome it's been a few weeks now and I haven't heard anything...my solicitor feels pretty crap tbh so am not shocked if he has not done it as urgent

@AccidentallyRunToWindsor I think the form is called an AP1 and it can take the land registry up to 8 Weeks unless marked urgent.

Our buyers solicitor was an absolute nightmare to deal with .

Thanks @fedupathome I have emailed my solicitor just now so I have an audit trail and will follow up on the phone tomorrow as well to chase them.

Am tempted to contact my buyers solicitor as well...not even sure if that's allowed

@AccidentallyRunToWindsor 😂😂 that sounds like something I would do.

I did call the land registry after my solicitors submitted the form to check how long it would take to process it etc.

The number is here

www.gov.uk/guidance/phone-menu-options-for-hm-land-registry

Your solicitor can apply for a change of name and request it be expedited as it's holding up a sale. It's a fairly straightforward application.
Alternatively as everyone else has stated when the transfer is lodged by your buyers solicitors, they can lodge evidence of your change of name as part of the application.