Anyone had dealings with Ladybrook Securities / Ashby Breweries claiming ground rent?

AnotherJoe

chris.parker wrote: »

I have exactly the same issue with a house I am in the process of purchasing. Ladybrook Securities own the ground rent on a freehold property. However they have written and said the property i am buying requires retrospective consent from them for double glazing and also that any future works required will need a full specification submitting to them for their 'consideration'. They are treating it as if they are a full leaseholder when it's freehold with a ground rent. My solicitor can't exchange until the retrospective consent is sorted with the vendors' solicitor and Ladybrook - however they are not responding.

They have no contact phone number and between us all we would be happy to buy out the ground rent but it's just proving so difficult. I am in a chain and I don't know how long this will take, it's very frustrating.

On average how long do people take to get a response from Ladybrook? I'm going to need to exchange on my own sale shortly or lose my buyer, but don't want to be in rented indefinitely while this gets sorted, or do I cut my loses and buy something else?

Any advice on people's experiences gratefully received. Thanks.

If you read the responses here, some people never get a reply, so knowing the "average" wont help you.

magick_2

All you need to know about Rentcharges and how to redeem them can be found on the gov.uk website. Go there and search for "rentcharges". Sorry, I can't post a link because I am a 'new user'.

SiStevens

Hi All,

I appreciate this is an old thread but I wondered if anyone else had had any recent dealing with Ladybrook Securities?

I received a Justice of Court last week (although it was dated from 29 January) stating I owed this company £108.64 from an initial rent fee of £7.88). I hadn't previously received any correspondence from them and the letter was sent to my old home. My worry is that I only had a few days to pay the debt unless I wanted the mark on my credit score. I checked my credit rating and it showed I had an outstanding CCJ on my record so my score shot down drastically. Due to this I have since paid the amount (just hoping that they acknowledge the payment and this was done in enough time for the CCJ to be removed) but I would like to take this further if possible. I am hoping to get a mortgage this year and this scenario has potentially put a mark on this, all because this 'company' went and got a court order without sending correct correspondence in the first place.

Does anyone have any recent information/dealing with this that can point me in the right direction to follow this up? After reading all the other issues people have had I feel I need to report them also so something can be done about them.

Thanks

benjiman121

I am having the same problems as other people on this with Ashby's. Think it's absolutely ridiculous in this day and age that they deal in correspondence only especially when reading through the thread the threatening letters that they issue to people demanding payment. (i have tried the numbers listed everywhere online with no luck)

My Father has been made redundant and in need of the money from the sale of the house to help him with downsizing and living somewhere affordable. I have got involved to try and help him with all this. 5 x letters have been sent for which they decided to charge £130 for the first one just to tell me that they were not a management company which we already knew, I just wanted to know how much to extend the lease or buy the lease. After waiting 5 months I got a letter back with a simple sentence saying we refuse to sell the lease, but not answered my other question about extending the lease.

Really is disgusting how they are treating individuals. Looks like i am going to have to go down the legal route.

km1423

I have my Lease with Ashby's, luckily extended with no issues in 2016. Thank god.

The ongoing issue is that I am told it is MY responsibility to advise how much insurance I want for my property. Any increase will apply to my flat only. There are 2 x flats in a converted victorian house. The building is currently insured for less than £200,000 which is simply not enough rebuild costs for 2018. How can I increase buildings insurance, when I am a leaseholder, and it will apply to my flat only?

When I have paid the building insurance I have never received a certificate only a "renewal" notice. So I don't actually know if the building is actually insured. The other Leaseholder and I each pay £269.00 for £195,000 worth of cover, and we also receive notice to pay the insurance in December but renewal is in May of the following year.

I wrote to them on 13th March of this year, only today received a reply, and not one of my questions answered. In fact almost everything ignored expect pay your Building Insurance and you determine the level of cover.

"Renewal for policy is 25 December each year, however block policy is renewed on 20 May each year"

"we note your comments about the level of insurance and would advise again that it is your responsibility to ensure that the level of cover is sufficient for your property"

I received a threat that if I do not pay the Buildings Insurance they "would use any means necessary to recover it". I have told them I will pay it 30 days before it "allegedly" falls due, so 21st April.

I am with anybody who wishes to take this company to task. I am more worried about the Buildings Insurance since Grenfell, and communication only by letter, plus Ashby's taking their time to reply especially if there were to be a serious issue.

If anybody wants to message me, I will join in the fight to get this company acting in the correct way.

It may result in the other Leasehold and I going to Tribunal, however unsure of costs, but peace of mind is worth much more than money.

Svejk

For those interested in buying out their rentcharge from these cowboys, I noticed the web address posted earlier in this thread has changed.

The new address is: gov.uk/guidance/rentcharges

I'm going to give it a try - I will post once I've made some progress

:beer:

krakpot

chris.parker wrote: »

I have exactly the same issue with a house I am in the process of purchasing. Ladybrook Securities own the ground rent on a freehold property. However they have written and said the property i am buying requires retrospective consent from them for double glazing and also that any future works required will need a full specification submitting to them for their 'consideration'. They are treating it as if they are a full leaseholder when it's freehold with a ground rent. My solicitor can't exchange until the retrospective consent is sorted with the vendors' solicitor and Ladybrook - however they are not responding.

They have no contact phone number and between us all we would be happy to buy out the ground rent but it's just proving so difficult. I am in a chain and I don't know how long this will take, it's very frustrating.

On average how long do people take to get a response from Ladybrook? I'm going to need to exchange on my own sale shortly or lose my buyer, but don't want to be in rented indefinitely while this gets sorted, or do I cut my loses and buy something else?

Any advice on people's experiences gratefully received. Thanks.

I am having the same nightmare now.

I'm selling my old house (built 1887), and made early contact with Ladybrook securities (who happen to take over the rent management in 2005) to get a receipt for my ground rent payments (they wanted £24 fee) which they co-operated and provided.

6 weeks later and out-of-the-blue on the day of completion the solicitor gets a letter from Ladybrook saying Ive breached the lease because Ive changed the windows and the bathroom. Nothing else was said.

My solicitor says the lease document (which is very old) has no rules regarding windows and bathroom and only on external extensions.
unfortunately the buyers solicitor is insisting on a letter from Ladybrook confirm there has been no breach.

My solicitor send them a letter requesting this on the 20th August 2018. No reply from Ladybrook, so a chasing letter has been sent this week 03 Sept 2018.

If they don't respond as am expecting I will lose the sale and the house will be unsalable?? How is this allowed.

The solicitor also says a covenant indemnity policy cannot be taken out now because contact has already been made by Ladybrook regarding a breach.

The solicitor seems clueless how to resolve this if they do not get contact from Ladybrook.

galanhorne

I am an owner and manage our property company of 5 flats, the building of which we have the freehold. We have refused to pay ladybrook until they show us legal documents acceptable to Land Registry. They have shown us letters but nothing of substance. We are still after, 2 years waiting, for their legal right to collect the ground rent

krakpot

Update:
My solicitor sent a letter to Ladybrook stating I had not breached the lease by changing the windows/bathroom. Ladybrook never responded.

My solicitor sent a 'chasing' letter to Ladybrook stating I had not breached the lease by changing the windows/bathroom. Ladybrook responded with a letter simply saying "we still think there is an issue"

My solicitor then sent a letter to Ladybrook with a copy of the lease asking them to highlight the part which I breached. Ladybrook eventually came back saying "Thanks for the copy of the lease, We agree that there is no clause which requires our consent to any alterations."

So we got there in the end, it just wasted about 6 weeks..which in turn cost me money in bills etc.... idiots.

SandyKG

I have just moved into my new home in Portishead, Bristol, and yes, I too have had trouble with Ladybrook,  to the extent that I nearly pulled out of my purchase. The poor seller had to pay for retrospective permission for a miniscule conservatory added over 10 years ago, that needed no planning permission nor building regs. as so small ( about 6' square) , and I am so worried about having trouble with the changes I hope to make.What legal right do they have to demand permission form them , on a freeehiold home ?? 
The rent charge technically is only on the seperate lock-upo garage in a block, which I dont even want as its damp and falling apart at the seams, and way too small to fit a car in, exept maybe a mini..the charge is just £12 a year, as per the 1973 deeds, but Ladybrook do no maintenance of the block the garages are housed in, or the apalling approach roads, which nobody seems to own or take responsibility for.
I wrote to Ladybrook at the address they've asked the Standing Order Mandate to be sent to, 10 Maritime Avenue, Southampton, SO40 4AW asking what in fact they were doing for their fees ?  -- NO reply.
My conveyancing solicitor said Ladybrooks fee was £60 for change of ownership registration, which I had to pay, I said Id rather ignore it in that case, but solicitor said if you default on rentcharge and fees, they have the  power to convert the freehold to a leasehold in their name... How on earth can that be legal ??
Solicitor asked what cost of reddeeming the rentcharge is, it s nearly £700.--way more then the 16 x annual charge its supposed to be.but still wouldn't free me up from needing permission for works...
The Standing Order Mandate is made out to  CATER ALLEN PRIVATE BANK, Milton Keynes...In never even heard of a ' Private Bank' ..Sounds very dodgy to me.
My solicitor said they dont seem to interact with anyone during ownership, as long a srentchgarge is regularly paid, but when the houses go on the market, soemhow they get alerted, and they read the particulars, and that way find out what changes have been made, and this is how they make their fortune, as thery own rentcharges all over the country, being in the business of taking them over when the original owners cease trading...Legal Crooks, my solicitor called them.