How Can I Prove That I Own My House?

[10ClarionSt]

Simple, some people will say. Look in the deeds. Not so simple though. When I finshed paying my mortgage, I sent my deeds to the Land Registry Office in Lytham St. Annes, on advice from the Building Society. I received a dcoument back entitled "Completion of Registration" and another one entitled "Official Copy Of Register Entries" which included the title number. Nowhere in these documents does it say that I am the owner of my house. They're full of legal jargon. However, on the back of the second document, there is section entitled "Title Absolute", where it names me as the proprietor but not the owner. Also, Land Registry have never returned my documents, which I have never questioned because the Building Society said they would be lodged with them (Land Registry)

[Peter Pedant]

Thank you bar maid for the authoritative statement

You pay over the internet £3 or whatever for a copy of your property at the Land Registry

which you can do now !

If you sell your lyttel palace - you say to your conveyancer - title is at the registry and he gets it

[10ClarionSt]

Thanks Peter. Why does all this have to so complicated? Can't I just have a receipt from when I made my last mortgage payment? :o)

[Peter Pedant]

The view now is to keep your deeds and I give the owners the house's deeds to the buyer in personam as they say.
I assure them if they send them into the Registry "just to be sure" they will shred them

Mortgage charges MAY be registered, some are, some arent. As above no record does NOT mean the property isnt mortgaged (*)
there are things called over-reaching title - which have effect even if not recorded and these are mainly Mining rights

and yup up my end of Oldham Rd His grace the bishop of Manchester reminded us he had an over-arching right to mine under my prop in Newton Heath - it cd be over-reaching I cant remember

see here: it is the kind of thing they inflict on land law students
https://www.chba.org.uk/for-members/library/overseas-seminars/qualified-indefeasibility-of-registered-title

Land registry fraud is a different subject

[Peter Pedant]

one fella was told years ago
he cdnt get a mortgage on Whiteacre, in 1980 because there was an unpaid mortgage 1952 on it

He said can I pay it off and they said no