Solicitor didn’t action Notice of Transfer - leaseholder asking for fee?

Hazzoura22

We bought a leasehold property in April 2017 and paid the £2.60 ground rent Sep 2017 with no problems.
I noticed we were still receiving correspondence from the leasehold company in the previous owners name, so when I sent the ground rent this year I included a note to say that we were the new owners.

I just received a letter from the leaseholder saying that the Solicitor has not served them with a notice of transfer and that I should get in touch with my Solicitor to do this and will be charged £240 by them to process the notice once the solicitor has served it.

Can anyone advise me if this is correct? I’m annoyed at being landed with this fee now rather than when we bought and annoyed that the Solicitor possibly hasn’t done his job properly.

Thanks for your help!

Hazzoura22

Updated to add....

I have just dug out all the papers from the purchase.

There is a document from the solicitor showing a notice of transfer was served and saying that the fee of £2.10 as stated in the lease has been paid.

Are the leasehold company just trying it on do you think? They must have had this letter the time and not processed it.

I could just get in touch with my solicitor but dot want to incur an extra fee for him to do something about it!

eddddy

Hazzoura22 wrote: »

I have just dug out all the papers from the purchase.

There is a document from the solicitor showing a notice of transfer was served and saying that the fee of £2.10 as stated in the lease has been paid.

Are the leasehold company just trying it on do you think? They must have had this letter the time and not processed it.

I could just get in touch with my solicitor but dot want to incur an extra fee for him to do something about it!

So it's a very old lease I guess - I suspect it mentions a fee of 2 Guineas ( = £2.10)

Ask your solicitor to confirm that a notice of transfer was sent, as the freeholder is denying it was received - I doubt that your solicitor will charge you for answering that question.

And yes - it does sound like the freeholder is 'trying it on' by asking for a fee of £240 when the lease says £2.10.

Hazzoura22

Thanks Eddddy! Sorry I’m getting my leaseholder and freeholder mixed up.

Yes a very old lease from 1933! I wondered why I couldn’t find mention of the £2.10. I’ll have a reread and see if I can find mention of two Guineas. It’s in very wordy old English legal jargon.

I’ll ask my solicitor to confirm and then write back to them with a copy of the original Notice. I won’t know how to respond if they pursue it though and insist I pay.

We’ll probably neeed to sell and move in another 3 years, hope it doesn’t cause s headache!

eddddy

Hazzoura22 wrote: »

I wondered why I couldn’t find mention of the £2.10. I’ll have a reread and see if I can find mention of two Guineas.

Or it might say something like £2 2s 0d or "Two pounds and two shillings"...

... realistically, it won't say £2.10 - because that's 'decimal currency' which was only introduced in the UK in 1971.