Co-Freeholder dictating how we correspond

HelpMePlease99

I am a joint freeholder, with the other freeholder being the prickliest person I’ve ever encountered. They insist that I send only physical letters as they allege I have harassed them via email. However, this claim is completely baseless, and when the police were involved, they agreed that nothing remotely close to harassment had taken place. 

For quite some time I have gone along with posting letters as I couldn’t be bothered arguing but I’m now collecting quotes for some repair work and wanting to forward these on electronically while still corresponding via letter and this person is now demanding that I print them off. This whole thing is absurd and I am wondering if anyone knows whether laws are being broken here. In my view, the other joint freeholder is making the maintenance of the property more burdensome than necessary and I can’t imagine that she has a right to dictate how we correspond. The various lease agreements certainly provide them no right to do so, nor do they stipulate any details around how different parties need to correspond.

I would appreciate any way I can stop this madness so maintaining the property doesn’t need to be any more of a hassle than it already is.

Thank you.

TripleH

What does the terms of your freehold / subsequent updates state? This might be quite clear on communication.

I would save as PDF every communication you send them by email if you do use that method. Keep it robotic (bullet point) and don't deviate.

Include read and delivery receipts.

I can understand if communication had never been by email and 20 years ago I had Internet access, and lost it when I moved so never accessed emails (before smart phones).

Is the 'harassment' due to you chasing up a response to queries she was failing to respond to?

If repairs, it might be worth 'playing her game' but setting specific reasonable deadlines for response otherwise to mitigate damage, you will have to make the reasonable choice.

If it comes to that, be prepared to explain your actions to an independent third party. Trick is if a friend disagrees with your train of thought, a court will.

FreeBear

TripleH said: I would save as PDF every communication you send them by email if you do use that method. Keep it robotic (bullet point) and don't deviate.

Include read and delivery receipts.

Not every email client supports read & delivery receipts. Mine certainly doesn't. And if you send me an email & then try to recall it, I laugh in your face as I read it.

TripleH

Maybe I'll stop sending you the funny ones then @FreeBear.

The point was to have a copy of every email you sent and if you could, proof that it was received / read. This way if they try to claim you didn't tell them anything, you have evidence otherwise. Plus it shows you weren't harassing, merely exchanging pertinent information.

It's tough, but arguing that you only want communication in a certain manner when alternative options are available might be unreasonable especially if you can prove the cause that method stopped was due to baseless accusations.

Plus I understand you can quite reasonably undertake a campaign of harassment via the Royal Mail /courier of your choice.

Bookworm105

their insistence on choice "letter" is no different to your insistence on choice "email"

in the absence of written instructions neither side has sway over the other, so carry on arguing.

theartfullodger

If they think it's OK from them to dictate how to communicate with you, then surely they accept you also have the right to dictate how to communicate.  

This is not going to end up happily is it.   Buy him out??