Developers are knocking down my flat: what do I do

Dird

I'd tell them you want a 3 bed for free from the new building.

A girl from China I know, their house was knocked down for flats & her parents negotiated for like 5 of the apartments in exchange. Better quality place to live & rental income

moneyistooshorttomention

lincroft1710 wrote: »

There is a downside to this,.

All the other flats are empty and the developer starts work. Windows are smashed, pipes are "accidentally" cut through, external security door is removed, lights in communal parts cease working etc, etc

You forgot - "undesirables" deliberately given short-term rental periods in sold properties. I've seen it done.

However, I do have to say that someone who got put through the mill by developers (and that WAS under compulsory purchase arrangements) decided to fight until the bitter end - despite every "trick in the book" being tried on them to force them out.

At the end of it all the winner was = the bl**dy-minded person who had decided they were NOT going to move until they had a better deal than they had actually had in the first place - and they got it:T

moneyistooshorttomention

Chanes wrote: »

You might get a really good deal out of it! But I read someone advising you to get in touch with a local councillor and I seriously recommend that you do - check their profiles and see how active they are (the more the better) it is amazing how underestimated a councillor's insight and input is; getting a good councillor involved in a problem I had saved me a huge amount of time and grief with a property I was dealing with.

Getting a councillor involved - many years ago as it now was - meant I managed to get out of the grotty privately rented bedsit into public sector housing (without having to reach pensioner age on the one hand or take the advice I had seriously been given to get pregnant against my will) on the other hand.

Chanes

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

Getting a councillor involved - many years ago as it now was - meant I managed to get out of the grotty privately rented bedsit into public sector housing (without having to reach pensioner age on the one hand or take the advice I had seriously been given to get pregnant against my will) on the other hand.

I was amazed when I was told to get a councillor involved in the problem, it didn't cross my mind at all. But the person recommending this action had years of experience dealing with them. I couldn't thank her enough for the advice. A good councillor is a great resource and a useful ally.

PlutoinCapricorn

I vaguely remember something about once a percentage of flats have been bought up, this gives the would-be developers more power.

Perhaps someone knows what I am talking about.

moneyistooshorttomention

PlutoinCapricorn wrote: »

I vaguely remember something about once a percentage of flats have been bought up, this gives the would-be developers more power.

Perhaps someone knows what I am talking about.

Hmmm...might you be thinking in terms of if the leaseholders make communal decisions about matters affecting them all - then it would profit the developer to hold a lot of the "votes" on the matter?

I don't know what the set-up is for leasehold flats - but I assume it might be something along those lines??

lonestar1

with only 70 years left on your lease your flat will be decreasing in value rapidly developer could well be doing you a favour

eddddy

I think people are getting a bit carried away here!

In the real world, the developer will probably try to do a deal with all the leaseholders and freeholder.

If one or more leaseholders are completely disinterested (or if they just make silly demands), the developer will just walk away and look for a different project were the stakeholders are more cooperative.


(I don't think any developer would tie up their money in buying any leases, until they had agreement from all the leaseholders.)

Cheeky_Monkey

eddddy wrote: »

I think people are getting a bit carried away here!

In the real world, the developer will probably try to do a deal with all the leaseholders and freeholder.

If one or more leaseholders are completely disinterested (or if they just make silly demands), the developer will just walk away and look for a different project were the stakeholders are more cooperative.


(I don't think any developer would tie up their money in buying any leases, until they had agreement from all the leaseholders.)

Indeed! Although reading the thread title, you'd be forgiven for thinking that it was a done deal. OTT or what? ........ rolls eyes

moneyistooshorttomention

In fairness - OP might well have been convinced by this developer that they DO have the ability to just grab his/her flat just because they want it. That - even though there wouldn't appear to be any question of compulsory purchase being possible.

There ARE people whose modus operandi for getting what they want is to state very authoritatively that "This IS how things are" and hope enough people fall for it and believe them. Its not something I'd encountered before moving here, but my nfh has clearly operated that way for years and its clearly often been successful for her in a variety of contexts - until now (ie when I'm demanding proof that things are as she is making out is the case). It really does sometimes take having to mentally pick your head up off your shoulders and place it back on again the right way round - and remember that we live in 21st century democratic Britain with laws/rules/etc about how things are to be done and autocratic people cant just dictate things to suit themselves.

So - I can understand why OP is obviously wondering whether what the developer is making out to them is the truth or no and scared in case it is. Some people can be very very forceful at trying to make sure they get their own way and I would imagine this developer is one of them.