house not registered 6 years after house sale

[bond-007]

My wife purchased our house some 6+ years ago and got a mortgage sorted at the same time. She used a solicitor and all appeared to have been done ok.
About 3 years or so ago I did a search in the land registry which showed the house as still being in the previous owners name. We consulted the solictor and told him this and that we were not amused. He promised to sort it. We asked him several times for confirmation it was sorted and nothing.

Today, he writes to my wife advising he hasn't done it and he wants €400 to register the sale. We are most unhappy with this. I think that he has been incompentant in handling the sale, ie taking 6 years to register it. Personally I think he has a cheek demanding this money now and that he should sort out the mess himself.

Opinions? Any point complaining to the law society?

Thanks
007

 

[ramble]

Write the solicitor a letter telling him that you are unhappy and that you want your property registered as soon as possible. Give him a deadline to lodge the registration appliction in the land registry and ask him to send you a copy of the form 17 evidencing lodgment. Some of the documents relating to the transaction may need to be resigned by the vendor and yourselves because of the lapse of time. So give him a couple of weeks to take care of this. Threaten to report him to the law society if you don't get the form 17 within the relevant time period. You could also tell him that you are considering selling the property which may move him along

If his fees and outlays were paid at the time then any additional costs arising as a result of his delay are his problem. Land registry fees have increased dramatically in the last few years and I presume he is looking for these. But the increase in fees was well flagged and he should have got your documents in before the increase. He is under an obligation to your mortgage lender, as well as yourselves to register the title and their mortgage.

Retaining another solicitor may be a good idea if you don't get a satisfactory response, one working near him may be best as it could embarass him into movement, also a local solicitor will have a good idea of whether this is his typical behavior or a one off genuine mistake.

 

[bond-007]

I contacted the Law society who were very interested in my story. I shall be making a formal complaint.