Genealogy Chat

This is an interesting thread. We live on a stretch of road that is private but back in the 1960s other properties were built so extending our cul-de-sac. The council adopted the new section but not ours. I understand that right of way is included in the deeds of the newer properties but, as the road has now been extended to half a mile, leaving us to be responsible for our bit, if the 1960s properties had a right of way over the private section and was in their deeds would this be only until there was alternative access for them? We can get no sense from the council who don't appear to know - or aren't interested - so is this a case for hanging on to your deeds? I believe they're all registered with the land registry. Our problem now is that the little section for which we're responsible (9 frontagers) carries a vast amount of traffic both to the new school and the new estates. Surely this can't be right? Any advice please?

We dont have any house deeds. When our mortgage was paid off in 1985 the Building Society sent us a pack which we had to countersign & send the Land Registry. We eventually got back from them a confirmation that land ownership had been transferred to us from the Building Soc. I rang them to ask where's the Deeds then !!and was told their werent any!! we are the registered owners of the land therefore we own anything on that land. We had bought the house newbuilt in 1967 Pity that as I was looking forward to having the Deeds.

If the house has been in your family for so long the house will be unregisted i.e. not have been registered at the Land Registry. You will need to pass the deeds to your Solicitors in order to sell the house. It is only houses that have been registered with the Land Registry that you can keep the old deeds.

Irene This thread is a few weeks old but thank you for your input. The deeds are at present with mum's solicitor. Once they have been seen and presumably the property will afterwards be registered, do you think we will get them back? There doesn't seem to be a clear guideline on this.

they abolished deeds about 3 or 4 years ago-you get registered on the land registry and get a white piece of paper with an embossed mark on it.

Hi again Gwyneth. The solicitor needs the deeds only to register the property with the Land Registry. Make sure you make it clear to him/her that you want them!! As I understand it that will be OK for you to keep them. If not you could always make a scan of them for yourself. Good luck! We really like our deeds although the house was only built in 1935 the deeds have records of the land before the houses here were built. One of the owners was a Bishop of London in the 1880s. Anne

Thank you everyone for your input. Anne My parents had the deeds many years ago... maybe to look at when mortage payments finished? I can remember that the land had at one time been owned by the Church, but as I wasn't interested in the social and family history then, I didn't take note really. Gwyn