Problem with ground rent arreas...help

eggmanfoo

Hello. I need some help with a similar issue to that which other have had. I rent out a flat and there is a £50 ground rent to be paid on 31/12 of every year. The lease company is Leasehold Property Management with a PO Box address.
The invoice is sent to the flat, despite email requests to LPM to send it to my home address.
Anyway, the tenant was not at the property over xmas when the invoice has arrived, and I was out of the UK on his return. I managed to get the invoice from the tenant on 21st Jan, along with a reminder (stating there was now a late payment charge) on my return.
I emailed LPM and received an automated reply stating they would reply within 10 days. I explained that it was unreasonable to charge me £42 as I had no access to the invoice as my tenant was away. I did expect a reply and for the matter to be placed on hold while we sorted it out. After not hearing anything, I decided to send a cheque for the original £50 to LPM. I still had no communication from them.
I was then shocked to find that a letter, containing my cheque had been returned to the WRONG address, with a letter saying they had returned my cheque as the matter had now been sent to SLC Solicitors.
This was dated 08/02/2016. I have heard nothing from the solicitors and I am now very concerned that I will receive a ridiculous bill.
I find it very unreasonable that LPM did not reply to my email, and then just handed my file to a debt collecting solicitor.
Does anyone know where I stand now.
I feel I have been unfairly treated. Surely a more reasonable approach would have been to issue a final reminder or something.
Can you help

moneyistooshorttomention

Do you still have those email requests on your computer? Print them off if so.

Personally - I would be sending photocopies of those printed-off requests to send the bill to yourself to them and telling them it was their fault they had sent it to the wrong address.

ognum

eggmanfoo wrote: »

Hello. I need some help with a similar issue to that which other have had. I rent out a flat and there is a £50 ground rent to be paid on 31/12 of every year. The lease company is Leasehold Property Management with a PO Box address.
The invoice is sent to the flat, despite email requests to LPM to send it to my home address.
Anyway, the tenant was not at the property over xmas when the invoice has arrived, and I was out of the UK on his return. I managed to get the invoice from the tenant on 21st Jan, along with a reminder (stating there was now a late payment charge) on my return.
I emailed LPM and received an automated reply stating they would reply within 10 days. I explained that it was unreasonable to charge me £42 as I had no access to the invoice as my tenant was away. I did expect a reply and for the matter to be placed on hold while we sorted it out. After not hearing anything, I decided to send a cheque for the original £50 to LPM. I still had no communication from them.
I was then shocked to find that a letter, containing my cheque had been returned to the WRONG address, with a letter saying they had returned my cheque as the matter had now been sent to SLC Solicitors.
This was dated 08/02/2016. I have heard nothing from the solicitors and I am now very concerned that I will receive a ridiculous bill.
I find it very unreasonable that LPM did not reply to my email, and then just handed my file to a debt collecting solicitor.
Does anyone know where I stand now.
I feel I have been unfairly treated. Surely a more reasonable approach would have been to issue a final reminder or something.
Can you help

Not helpful at this point but why are you waiting for invoices why don't you set up a yearly standing order/direct debit for the correct date?

melstar11

Read your lease - that should set out matters relating to the ground rent and it may state that you need to pay the ground rent regardless of receiving an invoice. Everything else may be immaterial. Yes it seems unreasonable if you have told them where to send their invoices, but it's not like the invoice is a surprise.

eggmanfoo

|Agreed....i pay it every year when i receive the invoice....but it is now beyond that. I have my lease and it is very bland as to the payment side. What troubles me now is the ridiculous fees that I will now face from this debt solicitor. I called them today and was assured of a call back today. Nothing. I have read somewhere that only if my lease states that arrears are recpverable that they can take me to court for admin fees and extra charges....have i got this totally wrong?
The only thing it states is "The rent is 50 per annum....payable in advance on the 1st day of January in every year and a proportion thereof shall be paid on that date hereof for the period up to the datefor the next yearly payment of the rent"

there is nothing more about late payments etc


can anyone advise. I am going to speak to a solicitor when it has been confirmed that £600+ is demanded of me...