Deeds of Transfer and title deeds are documents used to transfer ownership from one person to another. Getting your title deeds to your solicitor as early as possible can help speed up the sale of your property.

How to access your title deeds

• If your property is mortgage free, you may have the title deeds yourself and you can provide them directly to your solicitor. Your title deeds could still be with the solicitor you used to purchase the property and you will need to collect them if you are using a different solicitor for the sale.

• If the title deeds are with your bank or other lender (i.e. due to a mortgage), you will need to take a few more steps. You should provide the name of the lender and the account number to your solicitor and complete and sign an authority, so that your solicitor can request the title deeds from your lender. Your solicitor may refer to this as ‘taking up’ the title deeds on Accountable Trust Receipt (ATR). This is an undertaking given by a solicitor that they will return the deeds to the lender except in the case where the loan is repaid. It could take a few weeks for your lender to release the title deeds. If your loan has recently been sold to another lender, you may experience longer delays.