Landlord forgets to bill for ground rent. Can they still ask for it?

KTF

A friend of mine lives in a flat and has had a letter through from his landlord staying that they had forgotten to charge him any ground rent for the past 3 years and would he mind paying for it now.

Its £50 a year so he has a bill for £150 which isnt a great deal but is annoying nonetheless. Can they still ask for this amount even though its their fault that they didnt collect it the past years and is there any room for negotiation over the amount to be paid?

mystic_trev

Ground rent is the Landlords responsibility. I suggest to pass that information onto your friend!

clutton_2

if this is a leasehold property, and your friend owns the house, but not the ground, then ground rent is payable, (as opposed to him being a tenant of a landlord who owns the house) - and ground rent can be claimed by the Ground Rent Leasholder for up to 6 years in arrears.

There are firms who buy Victorian ground rent leases which say the rent is £1.2s 11d or whatever, and then these firms try claiming £100 admin fees plus the £1.2s11d - and hope that ignorant recipients of the bill will pay it in full. They cannot legally claim one penny more than the amount in the lease.

If your friend is a tenant, then as mystic says - its up to the landlord to pay this, unless it is specifically mentioned in the tenancy agreement.

KTF

Yes, its a leasehold property and my friend owns the house - its a row of shops with flats above it. They billed him when he first moved in then forgot for a few years until now.

Thanks for clarifying it.

clutton_2

he will have to pay it then. If i were him i would read the lease and just make sure of the amount .... seriously ..... i was invoiced for £120+ and sent them a cheque for £1.25p in the end, with a quote from the lease, and there was nothing they could do.

in_my_wellies

There was a feature about ground rent on Radio 4 'Money Box Live' yesterday. I think it is repeated today at 9.00pm but it will be on their website anyway.

(Martin was on to talking about best savings accounts)

mystic_trev

Yes agree with the above. If it was rented then its the Landlords responsibility, but as its a Leashold owned property, your friend has to pay it.As clutton says, its worth checking the lease.