How can we check if the Land Registry has already issued the Escritura for our property ?

Hi David

Try the notary where you signed. Good luck.

First If they said you must collect your documents within 2 years in person why wont they give them to you?

You could ask the notary where you signed, as previously suggested but personally I consider you are being treated badly by your solicitor  I would ask them for a complaint form and yel them you will take it to the department of justice in Murcia, they take complaints against solicitors very seriously.

Then again visit the land register in mazarron.

Hi Dave, 

things like this are very slow unlike the UK, we purchased in April and all the documents were not available until we collected them in person in November, everyone I have spoken to (Agents and other Solicitors) advised this was about right and not anything to worry about, we also received a refund on fees paid as most good solicitors will give you a conservative estimate as most of the fees will be a moving feast as they will depend on what date you purchased and what date you started the purchase (this is mainly taxes and yearly bills) 

whilst I did not use PALS for my own reasons (it is dangerous to share views in public regarding businesses as you can be sued) once you get your head around how slow things work in Spain you will be more relaxed about how things work, the reason why your solicitor wont give you any receipts or accurate costings is because they will not have them yet, the problem is that your solicitor is probably assuming that you know all these things before you start dealing with them 

hope this helps  

Lee 

Others have made sensible suggestions about trying the notary and the property register. The contact details of the latter are:

• Calle Hortaleza, Edificio Bulevard, bajo
• Código postal 30870
• Población Mazarrón (Murcia)
• Tel: 968 59 17 51
• Fax: 968 59 17 51

Their opening hours are 9 to 5 Monday to Friday. Take the details of your property and ask for a copy of the register. It may help. 

It is unlikely that people will comment on legal firms unless they have had a positive experience.

Good luck and welcome to Camposol👍

What rubbish! We bought a property in February 2020 and picked up the Escritura about 6 weeks later. There is no reason on earth why the registration of a house sale or purchase would not be completed within a few weeks. The Notary passes on the document to the Registro de la Propiedad of the area and they register the property and produce the end document within a few weeks. It ain't rocket science! The problem often just lies with the solicitor acting on behalf of the vendor or purchaser and who just can't be bothered to run around picking up the documents that they have been paid to administer and then tell porkies to their clients!

Really don’t know how you get a really helpful tag when you respond in such a nasty manner I suggest if you cannot be nice keep it quiet or jog on! Times have changed since you purchased, Covid and working from home put pay to quick responses and to be fair I doubt that any registering of a house sale has taken a couple of weeks!! Please bear in mind that both myself and others have gone through this very recently and have shared our experience to help guide others going through the same in the current timeframe 

in replying to you I have now probably made a rod for my own back and attract further belittling comments dismissing our experience 

regards 

Lee 

Well having lived in Spain for almost 40 years and having bought and sold 7 properties during that time, I would suggest that my experience is possibly somewhat better than many other people's. I have always picked up my escrituras within weeks of having bought or sold a property in the various towns and locations in Spain and the Canary Islands, where I have lived. My comment was not to make people worry, it was to draw their attention to the often sloppy services offered by some solicitors. My last house purchase was in 2020, so hardly a long time ago!

Hi Maggs44

if anything it would be reassuring that others are going through and have been through this recent process and it can be quite normal, you only need to speak to others going through the same process, I asked at the beginning when we purchased in April and i was told that it would be at least 4 months but likely to be early November to have all my documents, bills in place bearing in mind that things such as Council tax and other taxes are only paid at certain times of the year and Solicitors like to process things at the same time, also to note that title deeds are not processed by the solicitor they are processed by the Land Registry (this is where most delays are) My solicitor did however supply me with an electronic copy of the Deeds Simples that confirmed my ownership (this is the copy signed by the Notary at the time of being at the Land Registry but not the final sealed deeds that only the Land Registry can issue, you may have been in Spain for 40 years and bought and sold but we are now in different times and delays are quite normal 

Merry Xmas to you 

I'm glad that the house purchase is fine and I apologise if I sounded curt. It certainly wasn't my intention. I hope that everything goes well.