Ground rent areas - is there a limit on serving notice of a debt?

mattwilson_2

I have recently recieved a bill for my ground rent of £100 and notice that I am £300 arrears (3yrs). On calling the freehold managers company they claimed they had bougt the rights to the ground rent and were now chasing up all the arrears. Legally invoices have to be sent out (since 2002) to inform leaseholder of their obligation to pay however i have not recieved any such invoice from the previous holder.

This begs the question - is there a time limit on how many years a company can buy a debt? - and am i liable to pay all the arrears even thought this is the first time i have been invoiced.

Obviously I am a bit peeved about paying this (in total) and am looking for any loophole to get out of paying the backlog!

any ideas?

Debt_Free_Chick

mattwilson wrote:

Legally invoices have to be sent out (since 2002) to inform leaseholder of their obligation to pay however i have not recieved any such invoice from the previous holder.

But you have now received an invoice from the current freeholder.

This begs the question - is there a time limit on how many years a company can buy a debt?

Usually 6 years to enforce a debt, but there might be different rules for ground rent.

- and am i liable to pay all the arrears even thought this is the first time i have been invoiced.

Yes

Obviously I am a bit peeved about paying this (in total) and am looking for any loophole to get out of paying the backlog!

any ideas?

Why are you peeved? What's the difference between paying £100 every year for three years or £300 in one go? Surely you knew you hadn't been invoiced for a charge you had to pay?

Look on the bright side. You've had the benefit of keeping £300 and presumably you did the wise thing and earned some interest on it?

mattwilson_2

mmmm - I guess i'll have to pay up....lol, thanks for the answer - I just thought I'd check as there are so many nuances to the law that I might not be liable somehow.

I think I did earn some interest on the money I haven't, yet, forked out but it has most definately been spent on booze and over indulgence somewhere along the line!

bionic_banjo

There's no way out of this. Just feel happy that they are not charging interest!