Property Deeds

[sanreen]

Looking for a bit of advice here. Is it normal to leave the deeds of your property with your lawyer in Portugal when you buy property or keep them yourself. A friend and I disagree on this matter so would like to find out what others think.

[ceh]

I have the deeds here in the UK - they just arrived

[Gerry Cullen]

I reckon the best place for them must be with your legal rep at home .Should you ever wish to raise a loan on the property a letter from your lawyer will suffice.

[biffa]

The actual deeds are kept by the Notary. All you get is a certified copy of them. You (or in fact anyone!) can always get a copy IF they know which Notary the Deed was signed at.

[BONDI]

I agree with Biffa.

Deeds are registered with the Notary where they took place. All you need is certified copy for your records, so it really doesnt matter who keeps them, as biffa mentioned it is in public domain, so any body has right to view them and get a copy with your basic details. But if you have a local lawyer make sure he has a copy of deeds and registration for future use, as he will need them both for any legal work

Bondi

[sanreen]

Thank you all for your replies. Just one other query. Does this apply even if you no longer need the services of the lawyer that you used to buy your property. Is it ok to leave him with paperwork.

[biffa]

Sanreen, a good lawyer would give you a "pack" with all the documents in at the end of the process. There are very few documents that are actual originals and that you can't get updated copies of so I can't see any problem with him/her retaining your stuff on file. An original habitation licence is one thing I would like in my possession I guess.

[sanreen]

Yes I have a pack with copies of documents but I wasn't sure if the lawyer held the originals and I only got copies but what I didnt realise that few documents were actual originals. Happy to leave my lawyer with documents on file. Thanks Biffa for clearing up a difference of opinion.