Title deeds working party

The problem of what to do with title deeds since registration is a tricky one as many of the older deeds are no longer required for legal purposes.

Some mortgage lenders advise solicitors and other not to supply material that is no longer legally relevant, leaving the problem of what to do with the rest.

There is little guidance in this area, and those responsible for sorting deeds may find themselves with an unnecessary storage bill and the understandable temptation to destroy material that has been rejected.There are now efforts to rectify the situation.

The British Records Association and the Society of Archivists have set up a working party to look into the problem, and hope to produce and update advice to mortgage lenders, solicitors and individuals on the preservation of deeds and related documents that may well be of historical interest.

Members of the working party include representatives from the Land Registry and Law Society, as well as a solicitor and archivists from the Association, County record offices and a major mortgage lender.Contributions from those involved with the processing and storage of title deeds are welcomed, and comments should be sent to Sarah Henning, British Records Association, 40 Northampton Road, London EC1R OHB.