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Incompetent freeholder - how to handle it?
qy206
Posts: 29 Forumite
Hi all!
We are having major issues with our freeholder. We bought the property in May '13 and after completing the initial survey, knew that there was a problem with damp in 1 of the living room walls and rot in 1 of the windows. We were also planning to do a full refurb of the property so initially after exchanging, were busy dealing with all the approvals for this.
We got in contact with our freeholder in Nov '13 regarding the damp and the windows as it fell under their remit. It took back and forth emails, various planned and then cancelled site visits as well as a number of budgetary and internal meetings before we finally had the damp "fixed" in Oct '14 i.e. almost 1 year later! We are still waiting for the windows.
A few months ago, we finally got all the approvals for the full refurb we wanted to do on the property and we are about 60% - 70% completed. Unfortunately, at the end of lasts week, the previously affected wall became damp again and all the new plaster which our builders had laid on became damp.
We got in touch with the freeholder straight away but it appears that the same slow, incompetent process is beginning again. People are on holiday, messages don't get passed on, meetings need to be held and I'm incredibly worried that the entire project is going to get delayed again at a cost to us!
Does anyone have any advice as to how to get our freeholder to move faster? Are there any bodies out there that help leaseholders and protect them from the incompetence of freeholders?
Also, how do we claim compensation? We are now going to have to have to re-do the plastering again at a cost as well as incur delays to our project. This is entirely the fault of our freeholder!
Any help would be much appreciated! I am frustrated to tears almost!
We are having major issues with our freeholder. We bought the property in May '13 and after completing the initial survey, knew that there was a problem with damp in 1 of the living room walls and rot in 1 of the windows. We were also planning to do a full refurb of the property so initially after exchanging, were busy dealing with all the approvals for this.
We got in contact with our freeholder in Nov '13 regarding the damp and the windows as it fell under their remit. It took back and forth emails, various planned and then cancelled site visits as well as a number of budgetary and internal meetings before we finally had the damp "fixed" in Oct '14 i.e. almost 1 year later! We are still waiting for the windows.
A few months ago, we finally got all the approvals for the full refurb we wanted to do on the property and we are about 60% - 70% completed. Unfortunately, at the end of lasts week, the previously affected wall became damp again and all the new plaster which our builders had laid on became damp.
We got in touch with the freeholder straight away but it appears that the same slow, incompetent process is beginning again. People are on holiday, messages don't get passed on, meetings need to be held and I'm incredibly worried that the entire project is going to get delayed again at a cost to us!
Does anyone have any advice as to how to get our freeholder to move faster? Are there any bodies out there that help leaseholders and protect them from the incompetence of freeholders?
Also, how do we claim compensation? We are now going to have to have to re-do the plastering again at a cost as well as incur delays to our project. This is entirely the fault of our freeholder!
Any help would be much appreciated! I am frustrated to tears almost!
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