potential scam on rent charges

theycallmetrinity

MeteredOut said:

Ok, so if you can't contact them, why not just leave it there? You've reported it to Action Fraud, you're not out of pocket. Sit back and wait to see if they contact you?

If they phone again, ask them to prove they are the charge holders before entering into any discussion with them. 

The SAR to NatWest is your right, but what will you do when it comes back and confirms what you've said here?

What outcome do you want? 

they came back to me with the SAR. no calls been done by the bank to me. so is clearly fraudulent . dont you agree?

QrizB

theycallmetrinity said:

they came back to me with the SAR. no calls been done by the bank to me. so is clearly fraudulent . dont you agree?

Which organisation did you send the SAR to?

I'm wondering if the part of NatWest that you have your mortgage with is a different legal entity to the part you sent the SAR to?

MeteredOut

theycallmetrinity said:

MeteredOut said:

Ok, so if you can't contact them, why not just leave it there? You've reported it to Action Fraud, you're not out of pocket. Sit back and wait to see if they contact you?

If they phone again, ask them to prove they are the charge holders before entering into any discussion with them. 

The SAR to NatWest is your right, but what will you do when it comes back and confirms what you've said here?

What outcome do you want? 

they came back to me with the SAR. no calls been done by the bank to me. so is clearly fraudulent . dont you agree?

Did the SAR include all outbound calls (or confirmation that there were none)?

If so, then that provides it was not NatWest that called you, but I don't agree it proves fraud. It could still have been the charge holder phoning you, but a rogue operator embellishing their story, or a confusion/obfuscation during the conversation. Or it could have been an attempt at fraud, which you have thwarted.

What outcome do you want?

(personally, I'd be tempted to phone the number, withholding my own number, and see what is said when it is picked up, but that's just me, and not a recommendation)

bobster2

Can we break this down into separate issues.

1) When you bought the property you were aware there was a rent charge registered against the property - payable to a company. So you don't dispute that there is a rent charge due? But perhaps you hoped the company would never surface?

2) You are now worried that whoever has contacted you - it is not the company to which you owe a rent charge? It is someone else trying to defraud you out of a sum - that is approximately equivalent to the amount of the rent charges that would be due for the period you've owned the property? And that they pretented to be someone calling from Natwest? And are pretending to be from the company that you owe a rent charge to?

theycallmetrinity

there is no wanted outcome here. I did the report as i was told to do by 3 entities : the bank, the land registry, the ICO. 
My post here was to get opinion from ordinary people like me.

bobster2

theycallmetrinity said:

there is no wanted outcome here. I did the report as i was told to do by 3 entities : the bank, the land registry, the ICO. 
My post here was to get opinion from ordinary people like me.

Well it sounds like either the people you legitimately owe money to have tried using very unsual and highly innappropriate ways to contact you.

Or someone is pretending to be those people - and is using and highly innappropriate ways to contact you.

On the neighbours getting similar demands - if the houses were built by the same developer - or the land previously owned by the same freeholder - then it wouldn't be surprising for them to all have similar rent charges.

theycallmetrinity

bobster2 said:

Can we break this down into separate issues.

1) When you bought the property you were aware there was a rent charge registered against the property - payable to a company. So you don't dispute that there is a rent charge due? But perhaps you hoped the company would never surface?

2) You are now worried that whoever has contacted you - it is not the company to which you owe a rent charge? It is someone else trying to defraud you out of a sum - that is approximately equivalent to the amount of the rent charges that would be due for the period you've owned the property? And that they pretented to be someone calling from Natwest? And are pretending to be from the company that you owe a rent charge to?

on your point 1. the rent charge is not the issue here. 
on point 2. i simply refused to fall for it because of the way this company has contacted me and when i reported to the bank and land registry and the ICO they all told me is fraudulent. 

i repeat that if they know my number, and if this company is doing a legit thing...why not contact me directly on the phone. in that case i would have probably fell for it.

I hope this is clear to all of you. the rent charge is not the issue. is how the whole thing has been initiated that smell of fraud. 

bobster2

https://www.blbsolicitors.co.uk/blog/buying-a-house-with-a-rentcharge/

Estate Rentcharges

While new legislation means that historic rentcharges will disappear, “estate rentcharges” have become increasingly common in new developments.

Typically, a developer of a new-build estate sets up an estate rentcharge, collected by a management company appointed by them. The charge’s purpose is contributing towards the maintenance and upkeep of common areas on the estate not adopted by the Local Authority. Owners buying a plot on the development must pay this service charge, and when they sell the property, the responsibility to pay these charges passes to the new owner.

When purchasing a property, your conveyancer should advise you whether an estate rentcharge is registered against the property. If a service charge or estate charge is required, it is essential to check whether this obligation is secured through a positive covenant in the Transfer Deed, enforceable by a Deed of Covenant with the management company, rather than by way of an estate rentcharge.

theycallmetrinity

bobster2 said:

https://www.blbsolicitors.co.uk/blog/buying-a-house-with-a-rentcharge/

Estate Rentcharges

While new legislation means that historic rentcharges will disappear, “estate rentcharges” have become increasingly common in new developments.

Typically, a developer of a new-build estate sets up an estate rentcharge, collected by a management company appointed by them. The charge’s purpose is contributing towards the maintenance and upkeep of common areas on the estate not adopted by the Local Authority. Owners buying a plot on the development must pay this service charge, and when they sell the property, the responsibility to pay these charges passes to the new owner.

When purchasing a property, your conveyancer should advise you whether an estate rentcharge is registered against the property. If a service charge or estate charge is required, it is essential to check whether this obligation is secured through a positive covenant in the Transfer Deed, enforceable by a Deed of Covenant with the management company, rather than by way of an estate rentcharge.

well, contacting a solicitor crossed my mind at the beginning but i thought that would go against what the member of the action fraud said about contacting the company as they might change tactics and destroy evidences. 
thanks for that article, i know what rent charges are and there is nothing i have against them , in my country are very common in buildings with many flats. here the issue is the way i was contacted that make it all sound a fraud and i followed the procedure the bank told about contacting the action fraud.
I even opened a fraud investigation at the land registry showing them the letter where they say what they have done. I am waiting for that reply from them.

bobster2

theycallmetrinity said:

I even opened a fraud investigation at the land registry showing them the letter where they say what they have done. I am waiting for that reply from them.

I'm struggling to see what the Land Registry has to do with any of this? And what investigation they are supposed to carry out?

Someone called you asking for money. Where does the Land Registry fit into this?