What to do with house deeds

BraveDonut

Very lucky to have paid off our mortgage last year.

Last week we went to the bank to collect the deeds.
We talked to our solicitor about storage and they say that they don't provide the service any more.

What should we do with the big wad of paperwork that we have received? Just keep it in the house?
What are the implications of losing it? I presume that ownership is tracked online anyway at - landdirect.ie?

Stovepipe

Fire proof container? certified copies?

tphase

Paid off our mortgage years ago, deeds are still in storage at BOI at no cost. They might put yours in storage for a fee but not sure if they still do that

AndrewJRenko

I can see the temptation, but do you really want the bank that you might be in dispute with later to have possession of your deeds?

ThreeGreens

There is a company that does exactly this

Title Deed Storage Company

https://deeds.ie/

Jim2007

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123251031#Comment_123251031

At one point on their site they are:

We are a second generation family business with 40 years of experience and knowledge in dealing with title deeds and Wills. We have been proudly serving our clients for four decades and plan to continue doing so for many more to come.

And in another:

Deeds Storage was established by Dermot P Coyne solicitor in 2013 to store client title deeds.

It's a seperate legal entity, so the solicitor's rules on conduct would not apply….

I'd go with @Stovepipe 's fire proof box and of course make sure the deeds are properly registered.

Del2005

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123250440#Comment_123250440

Fire proof containers won't survive a house fire. They will protect paper for 30 or 60 minutes, but you shouldn't be going to the document safe when you're smoke alarms going off so your documents will charcoal

The Continental Op

I had to store the deeds of my mothers house in the UK for a while and I did a bit of research and found this was the best fireproof box at a sensible price.

MASTER LOCK Certified Fireproof and Waterproof Safe Box with Key, 10L, 419 x 193 x 375 mm, Portable, for home and professionals

You should be able to pick it up at around £90 if you keep an eye on it.

Don't think of that fireproof box as a safe. It is not a safe, master lock make notoriously bad locks! It is however fireproof. If you can situate it downstairs on a concrete floor then its going to be as fireproof as it can be (upstairs in a wardrobe could lead to it falling through the floor in a fire). Do not buy any of the cheap flimsy chinese fireproof document bags they are definitely not fireproof - check you tube if you don't believe me.

Mrs OBumble

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123251012#Comment_123251012

How would you need in a dispute with a bank later, when you've already paid off the mortgage?

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123251768#Comment_123251768

Car loan? Home improvement loan? Investment mis-sold?

MickH503

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123251415#Comment_123251415

Hi,

What do you mean by "properly registered"? Thanks

thebourke

i would have thought they would have all this info registered online now similar to paying your property tax?

Jim2007

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123252334#Comment_123252334

See here: https://www.tailte.ie/en/registration/registry-of-deeds/registry-of-deeds-services/

Jim2007

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123252346#Comment_123252346

You'd be amazed what gets over looked and forgotten….

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123252346#Comment_123252346

Compulsory registration of title only finished rolling out in the early 2010s; was done in blocks of counties - some were compulsory from 1970, then the next from 2006 - they sort of forgot to make it compulsory for a bit. Registration in general started in the 19th Century, so I've a folio first registered in ~1906; but I also know of houses near me that were built in the 90s and aren't registered.

The last two areas to become compulsory were huge - Cork and Dublin.

A mortgage paid off now is likely to be from the 00s or even the 90s. The chances that it isn't registered is actually high enough.

Shellfishfcuker

Have a look here

https://sentinelvaults.ie/promotional-prices/

I have nothing to do with them, purely a google search.

thereiver

Go to ww.landdirect.ie put in your address it,ll say this is registered folio no etc sign in as guest mode if it's more than 20 years since you bought house it may only be registered at registry of deeds office Dublin you can do a search there in person

Eg before 2000 not all houses were registered online make a good photocopy color of the deed with your name on it and store that in a safe place

thereiver

Online registration started around 2000 I think .or just google landirect ie

All house transactions before that are registered on paper at the registry of deeds office

Eggs For Dinner

My house deeds are with my solicitor, who will eventually handle my probate. I also have the Masterlock fireproof cabinet mentioned above for other important documents. I think it's very important for executors and family to know where everything is

tphase

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123251796#Comment_123251796

A contract for the storage of my private property should have no bearing on unrelated contractual issues.

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123252881#Comment_123252881

You're right, it should have no bearing on unrelated contractual issues. I'm not sure I'd be keen to take that risk though.

BraveDonut

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123252560#Comment_123252560

Yes - I can see my address on the map on landdirect.ie with the associated folio. Anything else I need to check?

tphase

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123253112#Comment_123253112

My solicitor would have a field day with the bank if they tried to pull a stunt like that.

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123253193#Comment_123253193

Maybe, but lots of people don't have a solicitor on tap that they can engage for every dispute with their bank.

AndyBoBandy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123250493#Comment_123250493

Same. Cleared mortgage about 2 years ago.. actually called BoI to see what the craic was and they said they'd continue to hold them on my behalf at no charge…

Issue I possibly have now is I'd like to briefly retrieve them to add my OH and my son's names to the deeds, so wonder if BoI will still hold them for me if I take passion of them for a short time!

thebourke

so the deeds are just a piece of paper that you says you own the house?

BraveDonut

It is a wad of paper that shows the chain of ownership from local authority to developer to owner to subsequent owner. It seems to be more focused on the ownership of the land

tphase

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123253205#Comment_123253205

Ask them, you never know. Might get more traction if you book a chat with one of their financial advisers to discuss potential investments or whatever

L1011

On the what is the wad of paper thing - most of what people consider to be "the deeds" these days are things like engineering compliance certs and so on that don't relate to your ownership of the property; but which any buyer will want.

Hoop66

Paid off my mortgage about 10 years ago, after the death of my wife. The building society sent me the deeds without me asking them. I keep them in a fireproof safe.

MickH503

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123253180#Comment_123253180

I can see same for my address, is that good enough or anything else I need to check? Thanks