About 100 of those who have contributed to the Law Commission report into retirement housing “event” fees were invited to an evening get-together at Westminster last Thursday. There was wine and canapés and gossip, after attendees had digested the evening’s theme “Building Fairness: Growing a housing market older people can trust”. Esther Rantzen was the […]
Archives for 2016
Law Commission outlines ‘event’ fee report, but still wants to hear from leaseholders
January 16, 2016 By
LEASE uses debt-collecting Brady Solicitors for leaseholder survey
January 13, 2016 By
The Leasehold Advisory Service has dismayed key leasehold groups by handing over an important survey of leaseholders to Brady Solicitors, in Nottingham. The survey aims to gauge leaseholder satisfaction, with a particular emphasis at blocks of flats run by resident management companies and RTMs. In other words, data concerning the most empowered leaseholder-controlled sites in […]
Realities of leasehold spelled out during the Housing Bill
January 13, 2016 By
– Commons urged to back amendment to abolish leasehold by 2020 in favour of commonhold – Tchenguiz, Peverel and Cirrus get another Commons naming – McCarthy and Stone told to explain collapsed second-hand values of retirement flats – Leasehold Knowledge Partnership praised, and thanked for reasonably accurate figures for leasehold sector Labour MP and LKP […]
Fairwater Gardens freehold for sale ‘offshore’
January 11, 2016 By
Another day, another example of all that’s wrong in retirement housing in this country … The freehold of Fairwater Gardens in Evesham is up for sale and the residents – there are 22 flats – passed by the opportunity to buy it. Now it is supposedly for sale offshore. Meanwhile, the management contract is up […]
Rats and rain beset residents of St Mauritius House
January 11, 2016 By
UPDATE: Hyde responds to YouTube and Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation shaming (Monday pm January 11) Dead rats, a kitchen carpeted in mouse faeces, water pouring through bedroom ceilings … these are the conditions filmed at the Hyde Housing’s St Mauritius House, in Lewisham, south east London. A video of conditions at the site of […]
Don’t be tempted by informal lease extension deals
January 9, 2016 By
Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation urges retirement leaseholders to extend their leases and NEVER let them fall below 82 years, otherwise they are in danger of losing all value. But negotiating with freeholders to get an informal lease extension deal is too dangerous for most leaseholders. You can trash the value of your flat with a […]
Boughton Hall’s £950,000 freehold for sale and it pays out 22% a year …
January 3, 2016 By
(… unless Law Commission’s exit fee report ends this income stream) It is not often that you are made an offer that it would be simply madness to refuse, and it is a great shame for the elderly at Boughton Hall in Chester that it has come so late in their lives. The 80 residents […]
Lansdowne Court wonders whether a News on the Block Award for FirstPort is (strictly speaking) deserved
January 3, 2016 By
This letter of late November arrived from the mobilising residents of Lansdowne Court in Hove. It should have been shared earlier (and did FirstPort win anything?): 17 November 2015 Dear Ms Crabtree PROPERTY MANAGEMENT AWARDS 2015-16 – FIRSTPORT In confirmation of our telephone conversation earlier today, I and other flat owners at Lansdowne Court in […]
Family hit with £9,341 contingency fee charge on Anchor’s Cherry Trees flat …
January 1, 2016 By
… that’s on top of a £26,950 fall in value after 11 years of ownership A family whose parents owned a one bedroom flat at Anchor’s 59-unit Cherry Trees site in Redcar, Cleveland, have been hit with a double whammy common in retirement leasehold. First, the flat for over-55s was bought for £79,950 in 2004 […]
Law Commission: Don’t ignore £318 ‘information packs’ that leaseholders have to pay
January 1, 2016 By
As well as exit fees, monopolising estate agency with exorbitant charges, sellers of retirement property also have to pay for ‘information packs’ to the property manager and the freeholder. Here, Alan Eadie, a long-standing supporter of Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation who is a leaseholder at Homepine House in Folkestone, tells the Law Commission to […]
