PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING

Hello Forumites! In order to help keep the Forum a useful, safe and friendly place for our users, discussions around non-MoneySaving matters are not permitted per the Forum rules. While we understand that mentioning house prices may sometimes be relevant to a user's specific MoneySaving situation, we ask that you please avoid veering into broad, general debates about the market, the economy and politics, as these can unfortunately lead to abusive or hateful behaviour. Threads that are found to have derailed into wider discussions may be removed. Users who repeatedly disregard this may have their Forum account banned. Please also avoid posting personally identifiable information, including links to your own online property listing which may reveal your address. Thank you for your understanding.

We'd like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum. This is to keep it a safe and useful space for MoneySaving discussions. Threads that are - or become - political in nature may be removed in line with the Forum’s rules. Thank you for your understanding.
We're aware that dates on the Forum are not currently showing correctly. Please bear with us while we get this fixed, and see Site feedback for updates.

Why were we made to pay for improvements for a garage we don't own

We own the leasehold on a flat where we were obliged (like all other flat owners in our block) to pay an extra £2,000 for improvements to a row of garages we neither own nor use.
Despite our appeal we were all obliged to pay by court order.
Now we have discovered that the garage owner is about to sell the garages for a substantial profit.
Can anyone advise us what legal redress, if any, that we have?

Comments

  • Alter_ego
    Alter_ego Posts: 3,842 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Read you lease carefully.
    I am not a cat (But my friend is)
  • teneighty
    teneighty Posts: 1,347 Forumite
    Two quick points, I assume as the figure is £2000 you exhausted all the Section 20 options.

    Secondly as you have "appealed" and received a court order I assume that is the First Tier Chamber Tribunal or whatever they call themselves.

    Other than those 2 I can't think of anything else.
  • Ganga
    Ganga Posts: 4,253 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    When the garages are sold will you still have to " finance " them or is the new owner thinking of demolishing them and building on the plot?
  • Fire_Fox
    Fire_Fox Posts: 26,026 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Welcome to MSE. :)

    Who is the garage owner? Where are the garages in relation to the block of flats? By court order, do you mean a Leasehold Valuation Tribunal? What does it say in your long lease about the garages?

    Leaseholders can have collective responsibility for maintaining areas or facilities they do not own or have access to, for example the roof or a basement. Depending what it says in your long lease, the covenants may have to be varied for the sale to go through. That may be expensive enough to block the sale.

    Unfortunately many leaseholders have not read or understood the legal document they have signed.
    Declutterbug-in-progress.⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️
  • Shouldn't this be on the house buying and selling board.


    OP try https://www.lease-advice.org/
  • Cornucopia
    Cornucopia Posts: 16,373 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    I've moved this thread to House Buying and Selling.
  • Presumably the definition of building, for which you were / are obliged to pay a contribution to the maintenance of includes the garages and that is why you were obliged to pay. Unless of course, the court order was a simple order ordering you to pay an uncontested debt?
  • G_M
    G_M Posts: 51,977 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    OP needs tocome back and clarify


    * exact terms of the lease
    * leasehold/freehold status of the garage(s)
    * type of court action
    * type of court/tribunal
    * precise wording of the courts ruling
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

🚀 Getting Started

Hi new member!

Our Getting Started Guide will help you get the most out of the Forum

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 348.3K Banking & Borrowing
  • 252.1K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 452.4K Spending & Discounts
  • 240.9K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 617.2K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 175.7K Life & Family
  • 254.1K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 16K Discuss & Feedback
  • 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards

Is this how you want to be seen?

We see you are using a default avatar. It takes only a few seconds to pick a picture.