If your new lender has provided us with your full and correct name and the Land Registry Records are incorrect then we may be able to help you update your name at the Land Registry for an additional fee.

• If there is a minor spelling error in your name please send us a copy of a valid passport or driving licence together with a letter to send to the Land Registry which must say that you are giving Optima Legal authority to update your name. Please do not send the original passport or driving licence.
• If you have married, please upload a complete clear copy of your marriage certificate together with a letter to send to the Land Registry which must say that you are giving Optima Legal authority to update your name. Please do not send the original certificate.
• If you have married and have double barrelled your surname, please upload a complete clear copy of your marriage certificate and a valid passport or driving licence showing your new name, together with a letter to send to the Land Registry which must say that you are giving Optima Legal authority to update your name. Please do not send the original documents to us.
• If there is a middle name missing from the Land Registry Records or a spelling error which is something more than minor, then we may still be able to help you update the Land Registry Records. This will mean that we will have to do some additional work and the cost of this will not be covered by your new Lender.
• If you have changed your name, either by Deed Poll, Change of Name Deed, or due to a divorce, you may need to update your name at the Land Registry before we can proceed to completion of your mortgage. Where you update your name direct at the Land Registry we will require you to provide us with an ID1 Form as we may be asked by the Land Registry to provide them with a copy.

Please note that if the evidence supplied is not sufficient for us to update the Land Registry Records with your full and correct names we may ask you to update your name at the Land Registry before we can proceed to completion of your remortgage. If we do ask you to update your name direct at the Land Registry we will require you to provide us with an ID1 Form as we may be asked by the Land Registry to provide them with a copy.

If your new lender doesn’t have your correct name on their records and the Land Registry Records are correct please contact your new lender directly and provide them with your full name, including any middle names. They will need to issue a new Mortgage Offer to us so please contact them as soon as possible.

If the address provided to us by your new lender is incorrect, either you or your Financial Advisor will need to let them know your full and correct address. Please note, your new lender will need to provide us with a revised Mortgage Offer before we can proceed further so it is important that you contact them as soon as possible.

If the information held at the Land Registry Records is incorrect it will need to be updated. We may be able to assist you updating the records and in order to do so we will need confirmation from the Local Authority that the address as it is shown on the Land Registry Records is now known as the address you have given us. We will also need a letter of authority from you which must confirm that you are giving Optima Legal authority to update your address at the Land Registry. If we do not have sufficient evidence to update the Land Registry Records then you may have to update them directly.

If you have been asked to provide evidence of a recent purchase or mortgage, please supply the following:

• Tell us how you became the owner of the property, for example, did you buy it, inherit it, or was it given to you.
• Supply a copy of the completion statement received at the time you completed the purchase or mortgage of the property being mortgaged.
• Let us know how the money was raised to purchase or mortgage the property outright, for example did you sell another property, did you use savings or did you remortgage another property.
• Please also tell us why you are taking out this remortgage so soon after buying the property or taking out a new mortgage.

We may need to ask you for some further information and if that is the case, we will contact you directly to let you know.

When you buy a property your ownership is registered at the Land Registry. The Land Registry Records hold all the essential information concerning the property, e.g. who owns the property, whether there is any secured lending over the property, other third party rights etc. This information is held electronically by the Land Registry and it is now compulsory to register property in England and Wales whenever there is a change in ownership or lending.

When your property is registered at the Land Registry, the Land Registry give your property a unique reference number which is called a title number.

If you bought or mortgaged your property before compulsory registration (around 1995) your property may not have been registered at the Land Registry and the Land Registry will not have an electronic record of your ownership. If this is the case then we will need your title deeds in order to check your ownership of the property and to register the property following completion of the mortgage. Your title deeds will usually be a bundle of documents and will be held by your lender if you have a mortgage. If you hold your title deeds please arrange for them to be sent to us by recorded delivery using the correspondence details provided on our initial letter. Registration is now compulsory and first registration fees will be applicable. The cost of this additional work will not be covered by your New Lender so please refer to the summary of additional fees. Following registration the Land Registry will hold an electronic record of all the important information affecting your property. Your title deeds will be dematerialised (see above under "Registered").

Where your property is leasehold you will need to provide us with the details of your landlord and/or other company or person to whom you pay ground rent and/or service charges. We will require confirmation from you that any payments are up to date. Your Lease will have a clause which requires you to let your Landlord know about new mortgages and changes in ownership of the property. This process is known as serving notice on your Landlord and we will assist you with this. To do this we will need to contact your Landlord and we will ask you to provide contact details to us as soon as possible so as not to any unnecessary delay in completing your new mortgage for you. Your landlord may charge a fee for serving this notice. If your Landlord does request an additional fee, this will not be covered by your new Lender and you will be asked to cover these costs. Where applicable our fees for dealing with a leasehold property are outlined in the summary of additional services enclosed. The charge covers the administration of the leasehold checks required.

After completion of your new mortgage, if we have received any old title deeds or other documents from you or your existing lender, we will send them to you by second-class post as your new mortgage lender will no longer hold these. These documents may be required if you sell or mortgage the property and you should store them in a safe place.The Land Registry will hold an electronic record of your ownership.

We can send you a copy of the Title Information Document for your property once Land Registry has completed the registration of your New Mortgage. We will charge £15 + VAT for this service. Please request this in the questionnaire. It may take 6-8 weeks for the copy of this document to be produced by the Land Registry following completion of your mortgage.

It is important that property owners take steps to prevent fraud and protect their ownership of property. The Land Registry has provided helpful advice about this on their website www.landregistry.gov.uk. One of the ways you can protect yourself against fraud is by keeping your contact details at the Land Registry up to date. This is particularly important if you do not live at the property you own. We will not change your contact details at the Land Registry even if we have been advised to correspond with you about your mortgage at a different address by your new mortgage lender. We therefore recommend that you check with Land Registry records and make any required changes to your details. The Land Registry will store up to three addresses for you including an email address.

A Transfer or Equity is the legal process that we have to follow if we are changing the ownership of the property before the mortgage of the property can take place. Most lenders require the people who are taking out the mortgage to be the same persons named as the owners on the Title Deeds to the property. Therefore if the people applying for the mortgage are not all currently owners, a transfer of equity may be necessary.

If your name is being added to the Title of the Property you will be acquiring an interest in the property and will be responsible for the mortgage repayments.

If as a result of the transfer you will own the property with another person it will not belong solely to you. You may have to share occupation of the property with the new owner and if the property is sold, share the proceeds of sale with them.

If someone is being removed from the ownership of the property we will have to contact them directly about the transfer and we will be informing them that they should seek independent legal advice. In some instances your New Lender will not allow us to proceed unless the person being removed from the ownership instructs their own solicitor. If this is the case we will let you know. They will need to sign the transfer document and have it witnessed. We cannot send the transfer to you to deal with. In addition they may have to provide identification evidence to us.

If you not paying any money to the person being removed from the property or are paying them less than the full value of the their share in the property, there may be an issue if your co-owner is made bankrupt within 5 years of making the transfer. Their trustee in bankruptcy or the official receiver may set aside or overturn the transfer. This means that the trustee or receiver may take back your co-owner’s share in the property, which may then be used for the benefit of their creditors. This may be the case notwithstanding the fact that you have completed the transfer and new mortgage and the property has been registered in your name. You will still be liable to pay the new mortgage. If therefore you are aware that your co-owner has a poor credit history or is in financial difficulties or you are making the transfer for this reason, we strongly recommend that you take specialist advice regarding the transfer, as our instructions will not cover this aspect of your transfer.

Optima Legal will act for you in a limited capacity and will prepare the transfer in accordance with your instructions and will register the change in ownership with the Land Registry. The fees for the additional work will not be covered by your new lender.

Optima Legal will not be advising you on the merits of the transfer and whether it is a transaction that benefits you. We can only act in circumstances where the terms of the transfer are agreed by all parties, we will not act where there is a dispute between the parties. If the transfer is as a result of a separation or divorce we recommend that you instruct a solicitor who specialises in such matters to act for you so that they may consider the transfer in light of the full settlement and other ongoing matters with your co-owner, as we are unable to give advice about this. Please note that we may not be able to act in certain matrimonial cases or where there is a third party retaining an interest in the property and will notify you as soon as possible if this applies to you.

Optima Legal will not provide any financial advice for you and if you have any concerns about the transfer you should seek independent advice from your own solicitor.

Your new mortgage lender will not pay the cost of dealing with the transfer. Our fees and additional disbursements are outlined in the summary of additional services included in your Introductory Pack. If you require Optima Legal to act on your behalf for the transfer of equity, we will require our fee to be paid before we begin working for you on the transfer. These fees are non refundable if your mortgage does not complete.

Stamp Duty Land Tax or Land Transaction Tax may be payable as a result of the transfer. This may be the case even where no payment is being made. We will let you know how much before completion. Even if duty is not payable we may still have to notify HM Revenue & Customs or the Welsh Revenue Authority about the transfer and have to complete a return on your behalf. If this is required we will send it to you and ask you to sign and return it before completion of the mortgage. Notwithstanding the submission of the form and the payment of any tax due, HM Revenue & Customs or the Welsh Revenue Authority may still investigate the matter for a period of up to nine months after completion of the transfer and you have a duty to keep all records relating to tax matters for a period of up to six years. The amount of tax payable will also depend on whether the property is a second home.

We may require evidence as to your identity or a specific ID1 form to be completed. If this is required we will let you know. If someone is being removed from the title and do not have a conveyancer or solicitor acting for them, they will need to complete and return a ID1 form. This is a form required by the Land Registry for any party who is not represented. The ID1 form must be completed by an independent solicitor, who will charge for this service. ID1 forms are only valid for 3 months and we are only able to complete if this form is properly completed and valid. We will also have to verify the identity of the solicitor who has completed the form.

A property may have up to four legal owners noted on the Land Registry Records. There are two different ways in which you can share ownership of your home. These are called:

• Joint tenants
• Tenants in common

These are the technical terms used to describe the two types of ownership and although both refer to "tenants" this is nothing to do with renting property. It is however important that you understand the difference and decide how you wish to own the property.

The option you choose will depend on your individual circumstances. What you decide now will affect you in the future. You need to consider matters such as:-

• Is the property your main residence?
• Are the owners married/civil partners; are the owners business partners, an unmarried couple; family members?
• In whose name the property was originally purchased?
• The financial contributions the respective owners have or will make towards the property, particularly if one of you has made a greater contribution than the other(s)?
• What you want to happen in the event of your death?
• What you want to happen in the event of a breakdown in your relationship?

Joint Tenants

Should you decide to hold the property as Joint Tenants, this means that the property is jointly owned and each of you has an equal interest in it. This has 2 important consequences:

Death of one of the owners

Should an owner pass away then the surviving owners would automatically acquire the deceased owners share. This will happen despite any provisions made in their Will or if you have not made a Will.

Joint tenancy is often used where the owners are married or have formed a civil partnership and where it is perceived to be of no advantage to define separate shares in the property and it would be the intention that on the first death the property would automatically pass to the surviving spouse/civil partner. If you want someone other than your co-owner to benefit from the property after your death you should choose the option Tenants in Common.

On relationship breakdown

If you decide to own the property as Joint Tenants, in the event of any dispute the starting point for deciding how the property is to be divided will be that all the co-owners will have an equal share in the property.

Great weight will be given to the fact that when you decide to own the property in joint names you chose to have an equal division of the property. Unless the property was bought as an investment, generally no account will be taken of who owned the property first, length of occupation of the property, who paid the deposit, made the monthly mortgage payments, paid towards running costs or repairs or improvements to the property.

Should one owner contribute more to the property than the other, in the event of a dispute between the joint owners over their respective shares in the property, unless one party can show that the property was intended to be held differently, under the current law the Courts may rule that the property was held in equal shares despite the unequal contributions made. Even if the Court did decide that, despite owning the property as joint tenants, there was a common intention that there would be an unequal division of the property there may still be some uncertainty as to the sizes of those shares. The Court would have to decide what is fair and reasonable and would take into account a wide range of factors.

TENANTS IN COMMON

Should you decide to hold the property as Tenants in Common, this means that every owner of the property holds a specific share in it.

The shares can be divided equally or unequally (e.g. 50/50; 60/40) between the owners. This division will be recorded on the transfer document held by the Land Registry and become a public document. If you would prefer that this information be kept private between you, we suggest that you instruct your own Solicitor to draw up a Trust Deed and in the transfer we will refer only to that document.

If you decide to hold the property as Tenants in Common, you must advise us as to the specific share each owner is to have. Otherwise it could be very difficult to determine the size of the shares at a later date in the event of a dispute.

Death of one of the owners

Should an owner pass away then the surviving owners will not automatically acquire the deceased owners share.

The deceased owner's share will pass in accordance with any provisions made in their Will. In the event of the deceased owner dying intestate (i.e. without leaving a Will), their share in the property will pass to the person(s) who in law benefit. Whilst this is usually their "next of kin" there are complicated rules which set out who benefits from your estate if you have not made a Will. For example if there are children a spouse may not receive all the property belonging to their deceased spouse. More distant relatives or friends may not benefit. If you want someone other than your co-owners to benefit from your share in the property you should choose this option.

We also strongly recommend that if you choose this option you make a Will to ensure that in the event of your death your wishes regarding the property are set out. This is not least because the surviving owners may have to sell the property to pay out your share of the property or share occupation with them.

On relationship breakdown

As Tenants in Common all the owners of the property have their own defined share in the property and in the event of a relationship breakdown will be entitled to that specified share. This may be complicated and you may want to make provision relating to both the past and the present ownership of the property. Should you choose to hold as Tenants in Common, you should also consider instructing your own Solicitor to prepare a Trust Deed.

General Points to Think About

• The information provided above is only a general statement about this area of Law. Optima Legal will be acting in a limited capacity and will not know all the relevant information about your personal, financial and family circumstances. If you have any concerns about the transfer or are not sure what you should do please seek some independent legal advice.
• While the courts are able to change the rules in disputes between married couples and those who have entered into a civil partnership, people who live together or cohabit do not benefit from the same rights as married couples or civil partners.
• A Joint Tenancy can be severed to create Tenants in Common. This can be done quite easily by giving the other owners a formal written notice (a notice of severance). You don't need the other owners' agreement, but you have to follow the correct procedure. Should you wish to severe a joint tenancy, you must seek independent advice.
• The way in which property is held can have significant tax implications on death and/or if you have substantial investments or other assets. If you are concerned about any tax implications in this regard, then you should seek independent advice.
• If you do not tell us how you want to own the property the Land Registry will automatically register the ownership as tenants in common in equal shares. Failure to make a decision now could lead to a dispute which may have to be resolved by the Courts. This could be costly and time consuming and ultimately result in a decision which means that the property is divided in a way which is different from which you expected or wanted.

We would recommend that all owners make a Will (if you have not already done so), or update any existing Wills.

If we discover any unexpected entries on your title deeds such as a restriction, a caution, a unilateral notice or a matrimonial home rights notice, we will need to investigate and will contact you to discuss the action that needs to be taken to resolve this matter before completion. This is additional work for Optima Legal the cost of which will not be covered by your New Lender. This may also mean a delay in completing your remortgage while the matter is investigated and dealt with. Where we are unable to assist you, we will advise you to instruct your own solicitor.

Some freehold properties are subject to a rent charge. If your property is subject to this entry this will show on your online portal. We will need to know whether you pay this rent charge and the name and address of the person/company to whom the payment is made. If you do not pay the rent charge we will need you to sign a declaration form to confirm you do not pay the rent charge but will do so if asked.

The form will be available online if this applies.

A written offer will be sent to you by your new mortgage lender. A copy will also be sent to us, which we need before setting a proposed completion date. You should check all information in the mortgage offer is as you expected. Once we have completed your mortgage we will not be able to change any of the details.

Please contact your new mortgage lender or your financial advisor if you have any questions or are unsure about any aspect of your Mortgage Offer. If there are any amendments needed to your offer, please contact your new mortgage lender on the number provided on your Mortgage Offer. If you apply for any changes to your Mortgage Offer, you must speak directly with your new mortgage lender and any financial advisor. Please notify us of this, as it will delay completion.

If you owe more to your existing mortgage lender than you are borrowing from your new mortgage lender this will create a shortfall. A shortfall may also arise if you are removing another person from the mortgage and need to make a payment to them (this is called a consideration).

Any shortfall will need to be paid and showing as ‘cleared’ in our account before your remortgage can complete.

If there’s a shortfall on your remortgage, we’ll be in touch to explain next steps. Please note. If there is a large shortfall we may ask you to provide evidence regarding the source of the funds you are using to pay the shortfall. We’ll be in touch if this applies to you.

Please do not cancel your direct debit until we have notified you we have completed your mortgage with your new mortgage lender. You must keep up to date with the mortgage payments for all mortgages you have on the property until completion. If you cancel or recall your direct debit/standing order before that, your lender will not be repaid in full. When sending us a redemption figure your existing lender(s) take into account any payments due before completion. In this case, you will be responsible for paying any outstanding amounts and until you do so, you will be in breach of the terms of your new mortgage. If you have made a payment that was not included in the redemption statement provided, your lender will refund this direct to you.

If your existing mortgage is linked to your current account or has a reserve facility and you use this after we have received your repayment figure, it is likely that on completion your existing mortgage will not be repaid in full. You will have to pay the outstanding amount to your existing lender so that they remove their charge from your property. Until you do so you are in breach of the terms of your new mortgage.

The repayment figure we receive from your existing mortgage lender will include additional administration fees they add to your account when you repay your existing mortgage, such as their administration costs for dealing with the repayment of your mortgage and the closure of your account. You will be able to see them on your redemption figure on the portal. If you are not sure of these fees, please check with your existing mortgage lender what fees will be applicable when you repay your mortgage.

We will send the money to repay your existing mortgage(s) by same day transfer on the day of completion of your new mortgage. Same day transfers ensure that the money is received as ‘cleared’ funds.

Some mortgage products contain penalties or charges if you repay the lending before a certain date. These may be called redemption penalties, early repayment charges or fees. We would recommend that you contact your current mortgage lender to confirm if there is a redemption penalty. You will be able to see any early redemption charges on your redemption statement in documents on the portal.

If you have an early repayment charge, please tell us whether you would to like to wait until any penalties expire before we complete the mortgage. If you choose to delay completion, we will complete your mortgage as soon as possible after the charges expire. Please note this is unlikely to be on the date of expiry as it may take your existing lender a few days to send us an up to date repayment figure and for us to obtain the funds.

Your main mortgage is referred to as the first charge on your property, and any other secured loans are normally referred to as second or additional charges. Your new lender will require a first charge on the mortgage property. This means that any loans or charges usually have to be repaid. There may be additional fees for repayment of these charges.

If you do not want to repay the additional borrowing or second charge, you will have to agree with your new lender that you do not have to repay. We will also have to contact them to check their instructions. Once they have confirmed to us that they are happy with this we will then have to contact your existing lender to see if they will agree to postpone the second or additional charge. This is the legal process to ensure that, your new lender will have the first call on any proceeds of sale in the event that you do not maintain your mortgage payments and your property is repossessed. The proceeds of sale are applied to each mortgage in turn and each is paid off in full before the next lender receives any money. A second or additional lender is in a much worse position than that of a first lender and so they may not agree to postpone their charge, particularly if you are borrowing additional money. You may have to provide additional information to them such as a valuation of the property, proof of income and pay a fee before they can consider our request to postpone. This is additional work the cost of which will not be covered by your new lender.

Your new lender will not pay the cost of dealing with the deed of postponement. Our fees are outlined in the Summary of Additional Services including in your Introductory Pack. Please note this fee will be payable whether or not the matter proceeds to completion. By postponing the charge you must continue your current arrangements with your lender including your mortgage payments.

We shall always try to complete your mortgage as quickly as possible, however as we are dependent on 3rd parties we are unable to guarantee a completion date. As soon as we have all of the information we need for your mortgage, we will set a proposed completion date. You will find this information on your online account where you will be asked to confirm if you are happy with this date. Please note, we may in some circumstances proceed to completion without waiting for this confirmation.

You will be able to see where your case is up to on the online portal. We will update your portal with the milestones and you will be able to see if there is anything we need you to do. The portal will tell you if there are any matters outstanding and any letters will be available in the letters and documents section on the website. You will also be able to communicate with us through Portal Mail.

You may also contact your case owner directly and their contact details can be found in the Introductory Pack we sent to you.

This could be due to a number of different reasons, however it is important to note that we can only set a proposed completion date once all of the information we need has been received and thoroughly checked. If a proposed completion date has not been set, it is likely that there is some important information that we still need, such as your mortgage offer, or details of your current mortgage from your existing lender, or we are still dealing with entries on the Land Registry Records for your property. You will be able to see what is outstanding on your online Portal Account and we will tell you if there is anything we need you to do.

Please check your account to make sure you have sent everything to us and also see whether everything else on your file has been resolved.

If you can’t see why a completion date has not yet been set, please contact us directly for further assistance.

There are certain searches that we have to do. These are carried out just prior to completion as most searches have expiry dates on them. If the search shows that there have been changes to the Land Registry Records or that entries have been added, we will contact you to discuss this and this may delay completion even if a proposed date for completion has been set.

The safest and quickest way to send any funds to you is by a Banking Transfer. However, dependent on your circumstances there are other options such as a payment to your solicitor or for very low amounts a cheque. For further information or to check/confirm how you’d like any money to be sent to you when your remortgage completes please login to your Remortgage Portal Account.

Your new mortgage lender will deal with the administration of your mortgage therefore if you need any information about when your first payment will be please contact your new mortgage lender.

You can’t change your user name once it’s been set, however you can change your password. Go to ‘My Account’ (top right hand side of the screen). You will be asked to input your existing password and enter a new one of your choice.

We will tell you in our correspondence and on your online portal account what documentation we need you to send to us. We will always need an original Mortgage Deed signed and witnessed. You may be able to upload documents we need through the portal. Please check your portal account regularly to see if there is anything outstanding. You may also contact your case executive directly and their contact details may be found in your correspondence.

Certain documents can be requested via your online account by clicking on ‘NEW FORM REQUIRED’ next the relevant document.

The document will then be sent to you via the method you have specified on your account i.e. email or post. (Please click on ‘My account’ to view your settings for sending documents).

If you have opted for documents to be emailed, you will have to print the document before completing, signing and returning to us.

Please note if you have requested an occupier’s consent form by post, it will be sent directly to the occupier.

If the button to request a new form online is not available, please contact us through portal mail and we will arrange for a duplicate form to be sent by your preferred method.

Please contact us directly and we will have to either send the documents through to you in the post or via e-mail.

You can change some of your information via your online account by changing the information and clicking the ‘Submit’ button.

If either the relevant information cannot be amended or the ‘Submit’ button is not available, it means that the information cannot be amended online. In these circumstances, you will need to contact us directly through portal mail to discuss your changes.

We’ll let you know if you need to make a payment for any additional fees or services, or if you have a shortfall that needs paying.

Dependent on the type and value of the payment you are making we accept a variety of payment methods, including:

• A payment from your bank account to ours using your Online Banking App or a Telegraphic Transfer. Our bank details are available on the Remortgage Portal ‘Make a payment’ page, located in the Useful links section of your Portal Dashboard. Please make sure you check with your bank to confirm how long the payment will take to credit our account as this can vary depending on who you bank with. If you’re paying a larger amount you may need authorisation from your bank.
• Card payments. The maximum payment we can accept by card is £5000. You can make a card payment via the ‘Make a payment’ page on the Remortgage Portal. Please note. You must allow 4 working days for the payment to clear.

Cheque or cash payments are not accepted.

When you call us we will ask you a series of security questions to comply with Data Protection principles. We will only speak to you and in some cases your solicitor or your Financial Advisor where you have given us the authority to do so. Please make sure you have the relevant information to hand before calling us so that you are able to answer our security questions. Please do not ask anyone else to call us on your behalf unless you have put their details in the "Additional Information" section of the questionnaire or have sent us authority to speak to them.

Your new lender will be paying the legal costs for the standard remortgage process however, where we need to do additional work you will need to cover these fees yourself. An example of a service that falls outside the standard remortgage process is a Transfer of ownership of your property. A full list of our additional services can be found in our Summary of Additional Fees, which outlines the fees that you may have to pay. We will contact you in advance if any additional services are required in your particular transaction and we will let you know on your online account.

With the exception of documents requested directly on your online account, we will send any further correspondence via the method you selected on your questionnaire eg email or post.

If you completed the questionnaire online, all future correspondence will be sent to you by email.

Where you have selected email as your preferred method of correspondence, we will also send you an SMS message to let you know that a document has been emailed to you.

Any letters sent to you via email or post will be available for you to see on your online account.

If you request a document to be resent to you from your online account, the document will be sent to you via the method you have specified on your account. (Please click on ‘My account’ to view your settings for sending documents).

If we send you correspondence by post, we will write to you at the address provided by your new mortgage lender. If you ask us to correspond with you at a different address we will need to make sure your new mortgage lender is happy with this. If this address is different from your address noted at the Land Registry, we will not make any changes to your correspondence address held by the Land Registry. It is your responsibility to ensure that the Land Registry records remain up to date.

If at any time you decide not to proceed with your mortgage please let us know as soon as possible and we will close our file. Please note we will still charge for any additional work that we have carried out for you.

If we are unable to proceed for any reason we will contact you. Please note we will still charge for any additional work that we have carried out for you.

Once we have completed your remortgage we will send an application to update the records held by the Land Registry. It is a legal requirement that your new mortgage is registered at the Land Registry. Once registered the Land Registry have an electronic record of your property ownership and the mortgage and this is public information. The Land Registry may take up to six weeks to update their records and therefore please do not expect the registers to be updated immediately. If you want to sell your property very soon after you have completed your mortgage, please make allowances for the delay. For more information about registered land please visit www.landregistry.gov.uk.

Optima Legal maintains compulsory professional indemnity insurance, details of which are available for inspection at our registered office.

We aim to provide a high standard of service and to treat you with courtesy and fairness at all times. We welcome any comments you may have and always try an answer queries and resolve complaints quickly and in full. A copy of our full complaints procedure is available on request.

Please contact us via e-mail at customerrelations@optimalegal.co.uk or by writing to:
Optima Legal
Suite 5a
West Village
114 Wellington Street
Leeds
LS1 1BA

If our complaints procedure has been exhausted and you feel the matter is unresolved, you may refer your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman within six months from the date of our final response. You can contact the Legal Ombudsman at the following address: Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ or by contacting: 0300 555 0333, or email enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk

The European Online Dispute Resolution Platform can be accessed at www.ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr and our email address for this purpose is info@optimalegal.co.uk

Click here to view our Complaint Handling Policy.