Housing Minister Mark Prisk (left) is holding an hour-long roundtable discussion on residential leasehold tomorrow. The meeting is to be attended by trade body representatives such as Michelle Banks, of ARMA – a former civil servant at the Department of Communities and Local Government – RICS, and the Association of Retirement Housing Managers (ARHM). Representatives […]
Archives for 2013
Dispute over £9,000 in service charges results in leasehold pensioner, 73, receiving forfeit order on his £800,000 flat
February 11, 2013 By
Leasehold pensioner Dennis Jackson, a neighbour of Commons speaker John Bercow and TV chef Nigella Lawson, has had his leasehold £800,000 riverside London flat at Plantation Wharf forfeited by court order. Unless a deal is brokered, retired photographer Jackson, 73, has until February 27 to pack his bags and get out of the attractive split-level […]
Sorry right to manage is ‘somewhat daunting’ says junior minister Don Foster … but I’m not going to do a thing about it
February 9, 2013 By
Junior minister Don Foster (right) has defended his remark that the elderly and the vulnerable find exercising right to manage as “somewhat daunting”, which some leaseholders find somewhat insulting. Foster, who was made a parliamentary under secretary of state for the Department for Communities and Local Government in September 2012, says: “As this is a […]
Girlings: Renting in a retirement community could help isolated elderly
February 4, 2013 By
What are people’s opinion of this from Girlings, please Last month The Department of Health announced that it is creating a ‘loneliness map’ to show areas in the UK where elderly people feel most isolated. According to Age UK as many as one in 10 pensioners or 90,000 people in Britain are lonely. However, the problem […]
We will fight to the end for our right to manage, says Elim Court
February 4, 2013 By
By Keith Phillips, OBE We, the residents, of Elim Court read with great interest Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation’ reportage of recent meetings involving Sir Peter Bottomley MP, Israel Moskovitz, Joseph Gurvits et al and Oliver Colvile MP with the residents of Elim Court on Saturday 2nd February. May we say that we very much […]
Oliver Colvile pledges support for right to manage pensioners
February 3, 2013 By
Tory MP Oliver Colvile (left) yesterday pledged his support to the two retirement developments in Plymouth that are locked in right to manage disputes with their freeholder. At two packed meetings at Elim Court and Regent Court in his Sutton and Devonport constituency, Colvile told the residents that he would support them in their litigation […]
End transfer fees, or let LVTs rule on whether they are reasonable, says OFT
February 1, 2013 By
Parliament should end the levying of transfer fees – that is, exit fees and sub-letting fees – or allow the Leasehold Valuation Tribunals to rule on their reasonableness, This is one of the key findings in the Office of Fair Trading’s prolonged investigation – published today – into a lucrative and unjustifiable earner that is […]
Bottomley meets Joseph Gurvits and Israel Moskovitz over disputes at Plymouth retirement developments – but leaseholders are determined to fight it out
February 1, 2013 By
Sir Peter Bottomley MP (left) held a meeting yesterday at his Westminster offices with the freeholder and managing agent who are locked in right to manage disputes with leaseholders at two Plymouth retirement developments. The meeting was an informal exchange of views between freeholder Israel Moskovitz, property manager Joseph Gurvits and Sebastian O’Kelly and Martin […]
Gurvits named in Commons after thwarting pensioners’ right to manage
January 24, 2013 By
The behind-the-scenes concern of senior politicians over the activities of managing agent Joseph Gurvits broke into the open yesterday when he was named in the House of Commons. Gurvits was named in a brief intervention – without comment and along with Peverel and Tchenguiz – in the rental housing sector debate yesterday by Sir Peter […]
Pensioners at Elim Court fail in third RTM attempt to escape Gurvits
January 12, 2013 By
Pensioners in Plymouth have failed for the third time to break free from London freeholder and managing agent Joseph Gurvits, Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation was informed yesterday. Elim Court’s third right to manage application in the past 18 months was thrown out at the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal owing to a mistake in the application. […]
Exit fees court battle fails … but it cost Fairhold thousands and Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation now has its legal argument why it believes the contract terms are fair
January 5, 2013 By
Susan Wood failed in her court struggle earlier this week to be reimbursed the £1,150 in exit fees paid when her late father’s flat was sold in 2010. Wood argued that as the fee was for a service that was not carried out – ostensibly to vet the capability of the flat’s purchaser for “independent […]
