Semi-Absentee Landlord - My Rights

Poppyseed_2

I own my flat leasehold and would like to make some external renocations such as adding a balcony and possibly extend the lease as it is now only about 80 years but I have a problem. The freeholder is very very difficult, if not impossible to contact, but still exists so i'm not sure if he can be considered absent.

A little history - I bought the flat in 2003. Since then I have been sending the cheques for the ground rent which is only £100 a year to the address on the lease, even though they have never requested it and I have never had an invoice. Every year I get a receipt sent back. The address is a building firm although I have the name of the landlord. But it turns out that the previous owner hadn't paid any ground rent for the whole time that she had lived there and they had never chased her for it. I sorted this out through my solicitors and it was paid, but it reflects the attitude of the landlord. The insurance is our responsibility and is arranged by a broker yearly through the landlord, but the brokers just arrange it every year and have never been able to contact the landlord at all. I have phoned the office number of the landlord several times asking to speak to him but have never managed to get through to him and he has never returned my calls, and I have also written asking permission to do works and they have never responded. My solicitors had trouble contacting them for a figure on the change of leaseholder application, and ended up just sending a cheque based on a number in the lease.

So my question is this - my landlord seems to all intents and purposes absent and disinterested in the property and this is proving obstructive in anything I would like to do to the flat. My neighbours have exactly the same problem. I would like to find out what my right are in regard to going over the landlords head and going ahead with the works or extending the lease, but because they have cashed the cheques and sent receipts can they be considered absent? What can I do???!! I'm totally stuck if I can't get them declared absent but they won't respond to my requests!

Hope someone can help and appologies for my rambling message - its not the easiest situation to explain!

Thanks

olly300

Contact http://www.lease-advice.org/

Depending on the number of flats in the building that are privately owned you may want to consider trying to buy the freehold. There is a long thread on the board about it somewhere - use the search facility.

Poppyseed_2

Hi Olly and thanks for your message. There are three flats in the building but unfortuantely one of the flats is rented out and the owner is just not really interested in buying the lease, and the other owner can't afford it. I've been told that buying the lease could cost thousands, so not even sure I could afford it myself actually! So I'm on my own on this one. In this position is there anything I can do? i've tried the lease website but i'm a bit overwhelmed by all the legal jargon!

Thanks

Rachel

olly300

They have an information line.

Ring them up today before 3.30pm on 020 7374 5380 and ask them the questions you want answers to.