The pensioner who had the lease on his £800,000 flat forfeited won a reprieve today when his mortgage lender stepped in to pay his outstanding debts. Dennis Jackson, 73, a former commercial photographer, had the lease on his split-level flat at Plantation Wharf in Battersea forfeited last month and had 28 days to be out […]
Archives for February 2013
Service with a snarl: anatomy of a leasehold ground rent demand
February 15, 2013 By
A Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation reader has got in touch with his leasehold ground rent demand from Estates and Management, which he feels is a little peremptory and abrupt. So, let’s take a look. Before doing so, it is worth informing any new readers that the Tchenguiz Family Trusts owns one per cent of […]
Housing minister holds round-table discussion on leasehold
February 15, 2013 By
On Wednesday the leasehold “industry” was given the opportunity to persuade Housing Minister Mark Prisk that it has cleaned up its act with new codes of practice and consumer charters. The representation was largely from the commercial interests of leasehold and from the trade bodies that serve them. But there were also members of Parliament, […]
ARHM wants to know your views about its new code of practice
February 14, 2013 By
The Association of Retirement Housing Managers is holding consultations on its new code of practice. Reading the whole document may be for insomniacs only. On the other hand, for those with a forensic interest in leasehold issues, it is important. Peverel is, of course, the principal paymaster of the ARHM, which has pretended for years […]
Minister holds roundtable talks on leasehold
February 12, 2013 By
Housing Minister Mark Prisk (left) is holding an hour-long roundtable discussion on residential leasehold tomorrow. The meeting is to be attended by trade body representatives such as Michelle Banks, of ARMA – a former civil servant at the Department of Communities and Local Government – RICS, and the Association of Retirement Housing Managers (ARHM). Representatives […]
Dispute over £9,000 in service charges results in leasehold pensioner, 73, receiving forfeit order on his £800,000 flat
February 11, 2013 By
Leasehold pensioner Dennis Jackson, a neighbour of Commons speaker John Bercow and TV chef Nigella Lawson, has had his leasehold £800,000 riverside London flat at Plantation Wharf forfeited by court order. Unless a deal is brokered, retired photographer Jackson, 73, has until February 27 to pack his bags and get out of the attractive split-level […]
Sorry right to manage is ‘somewhat daunting’ says junior minister Don Foster … but I’m not going to do a thing about it
February 9, 2013 By
Junior minister Don Foster (right) has defended his remark that the elderly and the vulnerable find exercising right to manage as “somewhat daunting”, which some leaseholders find somewhat insulting. Foster, who was made a parliamentary under secretary of state for the Department for Communities and Local Government in September 2012, says: “As this is a […]
Girlings: Renting in a retirement community could help isolated elderly
February 4, 2013 By
What are people’s opinion of this from Girlings, please Last month The Department of Health announced that it is creating a ‘loneliness map’ to show areas in the UK where elderly people feel most isolated. According to Age UK as many as one in 10 pensioners or 90,000 people in Britain are lonely. However, the problem […]
We will fight to the end for our right to manage, says Elim Court
February 4, 2013 By
By Keith Phillips, OBE We, the residents, of Elim Court read with great interest Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation’ reportage of recent meetings involving Sir Peter Bottomley MP, Israel Moskovitz, Joseph Gurvits et al and Oliver Colvile MP with the residents of Elim Court on Saturday 2nd February. May we say that we very much […]
Oliver Colvile pledges support for right to manage pensioners
February 3, 2013 By
Tory MP Oliver Colvile (left) yesterday pledged his support to the two retirement developments in Plymouth that are locked in right to manage disputes with their freeholder. At two packed meetings at Elim Court and Regent Court in his Sutton and Devonport constituency, Colvile told the residents that he would support them in their litigation […]
End transfer fees, or let LVTs rule on whether they are reasonable, says OFT
February 1, 2013 By
Parliament should end the levying of transfer fees – that is, exit fees and sub-letting fees – or allow the Leasehold Valuation Tribunals to rule on their reasonableness, This is one of the key findings in the Office of Fair Trading’s prolonged investigation – published today – into a lucrative and unjustifiable earner that is […]
Bottomley meets Joseph Gurvits and Israel Moskovitz over disputes at Plymouth retirement developments – but leaseholders are determined to fight it out
February 1, 2013 By
Sir Peter Bottomley MP (left) held a meeting yesterday at his Westminster offices with the freeholder and managing agent who are locked in right to manage disputes with leaseholders at two Plymouth retirement developments. The meeting was an informal exchange of views between freeholder Israel Moskovitz, property manager Joseph Gurvits and Sebastian O’Kelly and Martin […]
