Mortgaged empty property

endofmetether

I live at number 2 of a row of 4 terraced houses built in 1750.  Number 3 has been empty for almost 4 years. The owner ripped the kitchen out and dumped it in the yard 3.5 years ago. There isn’t any heating, hot water or kitchen. The kitchen ceiling has fallen in with water damage, there is a tree growing out the roof which is now causing issues for number 4. I have had court bailiffs knocking on my door looking for them. Birds fall down the chimneys, and I hear them in the house. I have his roof tiles on my flat roof and yard. I have propped his outhouse door closed as one strong gust of wind and it will be on my car. 

It is really starting to get me down. The only person who has contact with them (the owner refuses to give out his number) is neighbour not living in the row. She has now started being funny and no longer speaks to any of us in the row. 

Myself and number 4 have reported it abandoned to the council who traced them  made him move the kitchen from the yard which got rid of the rats. There is a person wanting to buy it as it is cash it valued up at £75k they want £130k for it it would only be worth £125k after spending £50k on it!!  So won’t sell it. He then went on and changed his phone number! 

The council are not interested. Do you think i can find the mortgage company from the deeds. Could they make him sell it or at least make it habitable?

davidmcn

Do you even know it is mortgaged? If it is then the lender's details will be on the title at the Land Registry. But unless there are arrears the lender may well not be all that interested. If it's in negative equity (which might explain rejecting reasonable offers) then the lender would only want to force a sale as a last resort. 

MalMonroe

There's an Ombudsman you can appeal to 
https://www.lgo.org.uk/make-a-complaint/fact-sheets/housing/derelict-properties
I'd have another go at the council but put it in writing and let them know you're going to have to contact the Ombudsman if they won't do anything within the next 14 days. Then if they don't do anything within 14 days, contact the Ombudsman. 
The owner's daft because he will have been having to pay some council tax, if not all, all the time the property's been empty. 
No good trying to find the deeds, nobody will let you look at them anyway because it's not your property. Ombudsman is the best bet.

MovingForwards

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/land-registry

You can obtain a copy of the title deeds, if the property is registered, from the land registry (£3), the owners address may be the problem property or a different address. If there is an outstanding mortgage on it the lender will also be listed, however the mortgage may have been paid off and the owner not had the deeds updated.

endofmetether

davidmcn said:

Do you even know it is mortgaged? If it is then the lender's details will be on the title at the Land Registry. But unless there are arrears the lender may well not be all that interested. If it's in negative equity (which might explain rejecting reasonable offers) then the lender would only want to force a sale as a last resort. 

Certain it’s mortgaged. And almost certain it’s in negative equity as his wife bought it for 130k in 2006. I bought mine for 110k in 2016 and I’m my recent remortgage the mortgage company Estimated a value of £132k now, that is with a kitchen, central heating, a decent roof and being pointed. 

It’s not so much force a sale it is having an empty property next door that is in utter disrepair it was built in 1750 so there is issues that come with houses of that age in itself. 

endofmetether

Certain it’s mortgaged. And almost certain it’s in negative equity as his wife bought it for 130k in 2006. I bought mine for 110k in 2016 and I’m my recent remortgage the mortgage company Estimated a value of £132k now, that is with a kitchen, central heating, a decent roof and being pointed. 

It’s not so much force a sale it is having an empty property next door that is in utter disrepair it was built in 1750 so there is issues that come with houses of that age in itself.