Ground Rent for a Flat - Please Help :(

Balloonless

Right, bit of a problem I've come home to...

I live in a Flat, when I brought this place I was told that the ground rent was paid until the start of this year, turns out is wasn't and I was forced to pay a lump sum a few months ago.

Now, I had a letter last week telling me that the next year (in advance) was due (25/10/10), and I've just had a court letter through saying they are taking me to court for it + 500 in legal costs!!!

Can they do that? surely they can't take me to court for something I don't owe yet?

Please Help!

bigpat

HIGHLY unlikely they'll want to take you to court for something that's not due yet. Are you certain you've read the paperwork correctly? Is there any chance that these are still arrears from a previous year?

Write back, clearly and calmly stating that you intend to pay the amount when it becomes due and no sooner. In fact, if it's going to be a bit of a hardship on top of the lump sum you paid earlier, I think I would state that too and offer to pay it off over the year.

I rent two flats out and due to a mixup I forgot that one of them needs ground rent paying every six months so it was in fact a year since I had paid. I wrote to the managing agents, apologised, explained that I didn't have a tenant just now and offered to clear the balance by the time the next payment became due in six months. They were fine with that.

terryw

Balloonless wrote: »

I live in a Flat, when I brought this place I was told that the ground rent was paid until the start of this year, turns out is wasn't and I was forced to pay a lump sum a few months ago.

Your solicitor should have checked and seen the last ground rent receipt showing that this was up to date. Any arrears or prepayments should have been dealt with in the completion statement. Take it up with your solicitor.

Who told you that it was paid until the start of the year?