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by
Leanne Smith |
Have you ever wondered how Mr Spock and Captain Kirk
from the Starship Enterprise managed to disappear into
thin air - dematerialisation, a wild fantasy, or was it?
You may be surprised to hear that some things in the
world of conveyancing have dematerialised too! In an
effort to move a step closer to the much talked about
e-conveyancing the Land Registry have done away with Title
Deeds in a rash act of
dematerialisation. In effect, anyone who holds a
registered Title Deed can effectively tear it up, as the
Land Registry no longer recognise it. Indeed, if you do
send it to them, they will just destroy it anyway! From
October 2003, all the relevant information about ownership
of registered properties has been transferred on to the
Land Registry computer.
If you had always visualised your Title Deeds to be
musty parchments with copperplate
handwriting, you will be sadly disappointed. In reality,
unless your property is one of those that still remain
unregistered, your Title Deeds are likely to have
consisted of no more than a bound A4 document called a
Land Certificate (or a Charge Certificate if you had a
mortgage), which listed the important matters affecting
your title. |
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But now even these have disappeared into thin air! Title
Deeds (Land and Charge Certificates) have followed Mr
Spock and the crew of the Starship Enterprise and simply
"dematerialised"! Of course there are many people who
still like to see things in hard copy, and in order to
allay their fears the Government has introduced the
concept of "Title Information Documents". These
incorporate the same information as Land Certificates but
take the form of a few sheets of laser-printed A4 paper
and a plan. The important distinction is that these
documents, unlike the old Land Certificate, are not legal
proof of ownership, but for information only. In future,
mortgage lenders will no longer hold Title Deeds because
there simply will not be any! As a result, your mortgage
lender will no longer need many of the important
documents such as Leases, NHBC guarantees and planning
permissions. We are happy to look after these for you
(free of charge), but if they are sent to you, it is
imperative that you do not lose them!
So, the next time you ask to see your Title Deeds
please don't look too disappointed when we hand you a
rather insignificant looking 'Title Information Document',
as that really is all your Title Deeds now consist of.
Alas, there won't be any copperplate writing either -
quills dematerialised from this office long before the
jump to hyperspace! |
