Change of address
I have just notified the freeholder of a change of address to make sure that I didn't miss any future ground rent demands. The result of failure to pay the ground rent would be that ultimately a landlord could be exposed to the freeholder taking action for forfeiture and possession.
Sting in the tail
In the acknowledgement from the freeholder there was a sting in the tail. A demand for another £50 for a so called consent to let. Further investigation of this revealed that recent case law from the Lands Tribunal indicated that for any such consent the freeholder shouldn't charge anymore than £40
What will happen
I have written to the freeholder asking for the details of the part of the lease that stipulate the landlord is able to charge for this along with an explanation of why it has not happened before given that they have been aware for a number of years that the property has been rented out. It will be interesting to see if they give me the courtesy of a reply or whether the first thing I get from them is the bill demanding the money later this year.
What are other landlords experience of this? It would be interesting to find out as I prepare myself for a bit of a fight.
Landlord insurance - flats - hmo - specialist requirements
interesting, glad to know about the limit to 40pounds thanks for that
ReplyDeleteI was charged £150 which was basically a trawling exercise as they noticed (after 10 years) that my address was not the same as the property.
ReplyDeleteI checked the lease and they weren't entitled to charge anything at all. I wrote back and told them and asked them to confirm they wouldn't be charging anyone else - they waived the charge and said they wouldn't be contacting other tenants. Not sure if I believe them or not but hey ho.
Thanks for the tip off. I will make sure I read my lease thoroughly before coughing up any cash!
ReplyDeleteI was sent a demand for £40 subletting fee for one of the properties that I rent out. I contacted somebody who then studied the wording of the leasehold agreement and it transpires that I (and any other leaseholders at that particular development)shouldn't have been charged. I sent an email requesting a refund but,to date, I've not had a response. I suppose I could deduct it from the next ground rent payment? No doubt I would then end up being threatened with court proceedings for the underpayment!
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, if my tenants move out I have to advise them with details of the next occupants and cough up a further £40!
I know this is an old post but I was hoping to get some advice.
ReplyDeleteDid the Editor of the original post succeed in getting the fee reduced to £40?
Also would it be possible to get a letter/template which I could use to challenge the freeholder?
Currently I am being charged £95 by my freeholder (John Lewis Partners, Yes THE John Lewis, not so ethical after all), so I would like to challenge them.
My freeholder is currently trying to charge me a total of £2600 to provide me with a permission to let. If anyone has experience and can advise on my rights, please share your opinion. Thank you
ReplyDelete