How can I find out if a house is being repossessed?

[houseclearou]

A few years ago my brother was gazumped when purchasing a house. Recently he heard that the same house has or is in the process of being repossessed by a bank. Is there any way he can find out if this is the case? Is it possible to look up court orders? Can he find out who the lender is? Is it acceptable practice to approach the existing owner (if not yet repossessed) or the lender and offer to buy the house? How does one go about this? My view is that a sale could suit all parties. Any information/advice appreciated.

 

[dam099]

Re: Bank repossession ...?

Looking up court orders might be possible but i'd imagine you might need to have a good idea what court its being dealt with in.

Approaching the existing owner can't hurt (unless your brother heard wrong and its not being repossessed in which case the worst that will happen is he offends the owner). Whether the existing owner is in a position to sell might depend on how far along the repossession is and the banks attitude.

 

[houseclearou]

Re: Bank repossession ...?

I have been told that Irish banks try to avoid at great costs repossessions. They will rearrange the loan to facilitate lower payments. If the missed payments continue they will grant the owner time to sell the asset and to pay off the outstanding balance. It is only if all these avenues fail that they will pursue the repossession. Can anyone tell me what happens next and the typical timeframes. Is there any way my borther can easily find out at what stage the process is at? For example when is the court order issued and can it be viewed by anyone in the local courthouse?

 

[Eurofan]

Re: Bank repossession ...?

Sounds like you have the process right as far as i'm aware but i do believe it takes years for the bank to actually proceed with repossession and only as a last resort to absolute intransegence from the mortgage holder since it's a costly and royal pain in the ass.

Do you have any idea who the bank involved is? While there's privacy issues involved it might be worth a chat with the relevant bank manager to see if the property might be for sale soon.

 

[houseclearou]

Re: Bank repossession ...?

Hi Eurofan

He doesn't know the owner or indeed which bank has the loan. It is also a small area and so he doesn't want to root around too much. I thought that perhaps looking at court orders may be the way to proceed but I'm not sure where these may be viewed (or perhaps they cannot be seen by a member of the public?). Do the main banks have departments responsible for repossessions that he can contact? Any idea where he can find out the contact details for these?

 

[bond-007]

Re: Bank repossession ...?

A search in the land registry will reveal who both the current owner and the lender are.

As regards the courts, it will be the circuit court for the area where the house is. If you tell me where approx the house is, nearest town I can tell you which circuit court office that you need to look in.

 

[houseclearou]

Re: Bank repossession ...?

Thanks Bond-007. Can the lender details be viewed from some online Land Registry service? Also, can anyone call into the Circuit Court and ask to see the Court Orders? The area that the house is located is close to Carrigaline in Cork.

 

[bond-007]

Re: Bank repossession ...?

I would try the courthouse on Washington Street in Cork City.

Only solictors can do online land registry searches afaik. Otherwise it will involve a trip to Waterford and pouring over maps to find the house. €25 for a search and approx €7 for a copy of the folio.