Is it possible to ask the owner of the other flat to contribute?

Tio794

Hello, 

Please help- i have been in my flat for nearly one year, i would like to have wall built at the front and sides of the property as well as a new front door as it is currently not safe and has been kicked in.

i have been quoted 3000k-4,300k for the take down of the old walls and new walls and a new gate- is this price correct?
i have been quoted 2000k-2500k for a new composite front door- is this price correct?

I am the freeholder of the building however  someone else owns the lease for upstairs- am i able to ask the owner of upstairs to help contribute to the renovations or even just new front door?

Would there be something from my solicitor that states who is responsible for what?

_Penny_Dreadful

Tio794 said:

Hello, 

Please help- i have been in my flat for nearly one year, i would like to have wall built at the front and sides of the property as well as a new front door as it is currently not safe and has been kicked in.

i have been quoted 3000k-4,300k for the take down of the old walls and new walls and a new gate- is this price correct?
i have been quoted 2000k-2500k for a new composite front door- is this price correct?

I am the freeholder of the building however  someone else owns the lease for upstairs- am i able to ask the owner of upstairs to help contribute to the renovations or even just new front door?

Would there be something from my solicitor that states who is responsible for what?

What does the lease say? 

eddddy

Tio794 said:

I am the freeholder of the building however  someone else owns the lease for upstairs- 

If the leaseholder upstairs voluntarily agrees to contribute to the cost of the renovation, that's fine.


If the upstairs leaseholder doesn't agree to contribute, you'll have to jump through a lot of hoops to make them contribute, including...

• Check that the the upstairs leaseholder's lease requires them to contribute to the renovations

• Carry out a section 20 consultation with the upstairs leaseholder

• Issue a Service Charge demand to the upstairs leaseholder, in the correct format

And maybe even...

• Be prepared to defend your Service Charge demand at tribunal, if the upstairs leaseholder decides to challenge it

• Be prepared to to take enforcement action, if the upstairs leaseholder still refuses to contribute

Being a freeholder (i.e. a landlord) means you potentially need quite a good understanding of leases, and of landlord/tenant legislation.

MasterplanC

Tio794 said:

i have been quoted 3000k-4,300k for the take down of the old walls and new walls and a new gate- is this price correct?
i have been quoted 2000k-2500k for a new composite front door- is this price correct?

Do you mean your quotes are for 3-4.3k = £3,000-4,300 for the walls/gate and 2-2.5k = £2,000-2,500 for the door? £2,000-2,500 seems in the right ball park for a front door, while 2000k = £2,000,000 would be sort of strange... 

From your post it's not really clear what sort of walls you mean, like how tall or thick they should be or how much length you need, so I assume even for people knowing their stuff it'd be hard to say how much that might be.

Emmia

Is this a shared entrance door, or one just going to your flat/part of the building?

A wall (or a higher hedge) doesn't necessarily make it safer,  as it reduces the visibility of your property from the street and provides somewhere for someone considering nefarious things to hide. A wall can also be an open target for graffiti.

If you're looking to deter people up to no good, I'd consider motion activated lighting first.

Grumpy_chap

Tio794 said:

Hello, 

Please help- i have been in my flat for nearly one year, i would like to have wall built at the front and sides of the property as well as a new front door as it is currently not safe and has been kicked in.

i have been quoted 3000k-4,300k for the take down of the old walls and new walls and a new gate- is this price correct?
i have been quoted 2000k-2500k for a new composite front door- is this price correct?

I am the freeholder of the building however  someone else owns the lease for upstairs- am i able to ask the owner of upstairs to help contribute to the renovations or even just new front door?

Would there be something from my solicitor that states who is responsible for what?

Is this the front door to the communal parts?  That is likely something that the lease puts as a shared obligation on all flats - have you read the lease?
£2k for a new composite front door is not unreasonable.

I am unsure what wall you refer to - is it the front garden wall of a conversion property from one house to two flats?  Typically, such properties the front (and rear) garden space are demised to the individual flats in some way.  What does the lease say with regard to which flat "owns" the front garden?

How essential is the work?
Changing the front door because it is not safe and has been kicked in may be essential and fair to charge across both flats.
Changing the wall because "I would like to" may be little more than preference and less reasonable to seek a contribution from the other flat.

bobster2

@Tio794 - if you were just another leaseholder and the freeholder came to you asking you to contribute to this work - what what your view be?

MEM62

Tio794 said:

Would there be something from my solicitor that states who is responsible for what?

No, but it would be detailed in the lease.

bobster2 said:

@Tio794 - if you were just another leaseholder and the freeholder came to you asking you to contribute to this work - what what your view be?

It should not be subject to a view - it should be clear from the lease.  

markin

Why was the door kicked in, Were they know to the people in the other flat? Could insurance deal with the door?

NameUnavailable

What you can ask (demand) the other flat to pay is set out in the lease.

Improvements generally cannot be charged for, so you want a 'better' wall - you need to pay for it. If the current wall fell down you could charge for the cost to reinstate it (assuming it was lack of maintenance rather than something covered by the insurance).