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Blooming bank

(17 Posts)
Luckygirl Mon 06-Jun-16 09:38:26

I am trying to get my house deeds out of the bank's safety deposit box - I want to do it tomorrow as I will be in town for the dentist and town is a long way away!

So....find the bank's only available number online (an 0345 number - I smell a rat!); phone number; wait for an eternity and have to key in various info; then wait for another eternity; a man with a Scottish accent that is wholly unintelligible and who speaks very fast answers; he goes through all the details that I have already keyed in; I ask my question - can I get the deeds out tomorrow and what identification do they need; he can't answer this but has to talk to the branch; he puts me on hold and rings the branch; he comes back and says he can't get through to them but could I give him all my details (again!) and he will get them to ring me back. Well - let's hope they don't ring while I am in the shower, as OH will struggle to deal with this - or maybe I should stay in my pj's all day.

At the risk of sounding like grumpy old lady, I remember the days when we just used to ring the branch. That's progress for you!

Lona Mon 06-Jun-16 09:42:04

If you ask in the branch they may give you their number. My local Santander have offered me their number a couple of times.

Elegran Mon 06-Jun-16 09:44:35

Do you have to have them tomorrow? Could they post them to you?

Alima Mon 06-Jun-16 09:45:44

Don't quote me on this but aren't house deeds held digitally now? Maybe for ones from a certain date? May be worth checking out.

Elegran Mon 06-Jun-16 09:45:53

If you go into the branch tomorrow, you could ask whether you could get them immediately, and if not, for them to post them. Be a bit stroppy, they are your deeds and your account!

jinglbellsfrocks Mon 06-Jun-16 09:59:15

When we bought a house three years ago the solicitor was most surprised that we wanted possession of the actual physical Deeds. He seemed to think that they are now totally unnecessary. (We still took them though)

Maybe that's why your Bank seems in a bit of a quandry. Not used to looking out Deeds anymore.

annsixty Mon 06-Jun-16 10:13:54

I have the numbers of the 2 local branches I deal with,no problem, whether they answer is another matter. Our deeds are held by the solicitor who did our conveyancing and that is a free service. I understand some banks charge quite an annual fee for that.
That doesn't help you of course and I hope you get some joy today.

Welshwife Mon 06-Jun-16 10:41:06

The last time we bought a house the solicitor sent us the large pack of deeds from when the house was built - they were not required when we sold the house so left them for the next people.

Alea Mon 06-Jun-16 10:44:51

Ahem! confused
Scottish accent
+
wholly unintelligible
confusedconfused

Does anybody remember "Parliamo Glesca/Glasgow "??

Greyduster Mon 06-Jun-16 11:49:41

We were given our actual deeds when we bought this house, which surprised me - we only had copies for the previous house. The Land Registry had the originals. They have copies online and I think they will email them to you but don't quote me on that.

sunseeker Mon 06-Jun-16 14:55:07

The old deeds are no longer needed. Everything is registered with the Land Registry and if you buy a house today you will not usually receive any deeds but instead will get a copy of the Registry Entry. Many of the old deeds were destroyed which I thought was an awful shame as many were beautifully hand written

Badenkate Mon 06-Jun-16 15:02:06

This is true. We recently paid off our mortgage (hurrah hurrah) and our deeds are held on an electronic data base.

Lona Mon 06-Jun-16 15:12:27

I took my deeds to my solicitor a couple of weeks ago, nobody mentioned them being entered on the Land Registry.

Mildred Mon 06-Jun-16 15:50:24

Land Regisry was created in the early 70s, so I suppose if you bought your house before then and had not sold it or borrowed money using the house to secure the loan it would not be registered. I have my deeds but the building society had one of those computerises systems for recording where the deeds were stored and they couldn't find them they weren't all that bothered because the Land Registy overrode the need for paper deeds but I wanted them so they had to use a human being to search for them.

Funnygran Mon 06-Jun-16 15:56:10

I have the old deeds too and they are fascinating to read. We recently had a letter from the Land Registry addressed to the previous owner - we have lived here for 10 years. It was very tempting to open it but we sent it back. Now I keep wondering whose name is on the records. We haven't had anything else from them.

numberplease Mon 06-Jun-16 17:49:13

We received our deeds when we paid off the mortgage. They were the first house deeds we`d ever seen, and they make fascinating reading, as the house was built in the 1890s, so it`s had a fair few occupants.

numberplease Mon 06-Jun-16 17:50:28

Meant to say that now that we`ve seen them, I think we ought to lodge them in a place of safety, but hubby wants to hold onto them.