Greedy Letting Agent Charging Me for Access to My Own Garage!

colino

Get professional advice, this isn't going to be straightforward. Lots of people have title deeds that have become irrelevant over the years (you have very few rights, if any over anything outwith your own plot) and misleading claims over access are quite often trodden on.
Unfortunately with the property market on the slide a lot of land grabbers are picking up small "ransom strips" which cost very little, they can do little with, but they realise incomes from neighbours, or potential neighbours, by doing things like this.

AdrianHi

Solicitor I think.
Deeds might help you but you do seem to have the fact that the gate is attached to your house on your side too as you could make a counter rent claim for use of your house wall.
Between these two things I think you ought to reclaim free access again.
Go back to what ever solicitor did the conveyancing when you bought the house, they should have looked into this for you before you commited to buying the house.

ArsenalFC

I would go along with most here see a solicitor, find out how much the solicitor fee will be for your visit.

They probably cannot charge you as its access to your garage and secondly you could counter charge them for use of your wall; or have it taken off your wall
if you dont gain anything from this. Legal advice required. This thread need to be moved to the property forum for any/further knowledgeable advice.

Phil_L_2

Inalienable right of access I believe it is called

peter_the_piper

May I suggest that you run this over on pepipoo.com, they have trained people there who are more than able to advise.

Kinkajou

Dear imho, hngrymummy, gloomanddoom, neilmch, judas, neilmcl, adrianhi,arsenalfc,colino,sarahg1969, harryflashman, maninthestreet,hammyman,wazzza, peter_piler and phil l THANK YOU!

Sorry for taking so long to reply!! This site is really great as it shows how many kind, thoughtful and caring people out there who are willing to give advice to someone who admittedly has got themselves into a bit of a mess. Thankyou all!!
Re access the side road by my house. What's happened is that I have a garden gate and shed/garage that opens out onto that road. the letting agent who manages those garages wish to charge me for access.
The land that those garages is probably not bit enough to develop as there are houses behind
The gate was affixed to the house by a previous letting agent who did not ask my permission. Prior to that that there were people fly-tipping etc, so the gate stopped at lot of that going on and I thought it might make things more secure. ( I know I was very stupid to let them do this, )
I was given a key to this gate, but new agent wants to change this lock and charge access
My car is not locked in the garage or anything like that, but after letting everyone take liberties for so long, I thought that I would at last put my foot down.
My title deeds are dated 29th Sep 1961 and say " the land has a benefit of a right of way over the passageway at the rear of numbers *** to *** ********road (odd numbers inclusive) and at the side of number * leading into *******road and together also with a right of way over the land tinted brown on the filed plan for all purposes connected with the use and enjoyment of the property as a private residence occupied as one tenement only"
I am contacting a solicitor today to confirm my rights, and if positive, to draft some correspondence out to these people. I would have gone to my local CAB, but they are hardly ever open.
Cheers,
Kinkajou