Ahead of tonight’s Channel Four Dispatches documentary on leasehold, ‘Property Nightmare: The Truth About Leasehold’ (C4 8pm), The Times today quotes Sebastian O’Kelly, of Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation and the Leasehold Knowledge Partnership, saying that there is “industry-wide fiddling” in the sector. “Leasehold gives some of the worst spivs in property the opportunity to […]
The FT’s shocking page 3 today … a report on leasehold
August 20, 2012 By
Ahead of tonight’s Dispatches programme on Channel Four (8pm) and the CentreForum think tank report on leasehold, the Financial Times carried a report on leasehold. It can be read on the FT website here, although you must log in.
Radio Four Today programme highlights leaseholder “rip-offs”
August 20, 2012 By
“There are clear instances of leaseholders being ripped off,” Chris Paterson, the author of the CentreForum report into leasehold, told Radio Four’s Today programme this morning. Interviewed by Justin Webb about the report, Paterson claimed that LVT complaints by leaseholders had increased four fold over the past ten years. There is unanimity for greater regulation […]
Countdown to a media storm over leasehold
August 19, 2012 By
Tomorrow (Monday August 20) sees the Dispatches documentary on Channel Four and the release of an influential report on leasehold by the liberal think tank CentreForum. There will be an article on the subject in The Times by property writer Deirdre Hipwell. But first off is an excellent polemic in today’s Independent on Sunday by […]
Property Nightmare: The Truth About Leaseholds on Channel Four August 20 at 8pm
August 10, 2012 By
This is the first of two documentaries about leasehold to be shown on Channel Four. Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation gave extensive support and encouragement to the documentary. The views expressed are those of the Dispatches filmmakers. http://www.channel4.com/programmes/dispatches/episode-guide/series-111/episode-3
Green MP steps in to help leaseholders who face £30,000 legal bills after bungled right to manage
August 9, 2012 By
Residents from the Kingsmere development in Brighton – who face legal bills of £30,000 following a bungled right to manage application – are to meet their local MP today (August 10). Caroline Lucas, of the Green Party, has taken an interest in the issues raised and is demanding to know how ordinary families at the […]
Why does Shapps want to regulate park homes, but not leasehold?
August 9, 2012 By
Housing Minister Grant Shapps is alone in resisting leasehold regulation saying it will add to costs and landlords don’t want it … even though the British Property Federation, which represents the country’s largest landlords, has assured LKP that it favours the move. But why – for the sake of consistency – does this minister feel […]
Shapps grilled on TV, leasehold report and OFT statement on exit fees
August 9, 2012 By
Today both Housing Minister Grant Shapps and Siobhan McGrath, the senior barrister who presides over the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal system, face the cameras as part of the Channel Four Dispatches documentary into leasehold. The programme will be shown on August 20. A second Dispatches programme on retirement leasehold is also nearing completition, although it has […]
Pay back my £1,150 exit fee, or we are off to court
August 3, 2012 By
Veteran Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation supporter Susan Wood is considering legal action against the retirement development landlord Fairhold on the thorny issue of exit fees and wants back £1,150. The case concerns her deceased father’s flat at Kings Court, in Sheffield, where Wood and her two siblings were charged two per cent exit fees […]
Should this lady agree to sub-letting? Comments please
August 2, 2012 By
Dear Sir, or Madam, I have been living in a retirement flat that I bought nine years ago with a 99year lease. The freeholder and manager is a registered housing association. In the past there has never been a problem in selling these flats which were built in 1985 as they are in a very […]
More than 50 leaseholder representatives gather in Worthing
July 30, 2012 By
More than 50 leaseholders attended a meeting in Worthing last week to hear John Fenwick explain how he managed to win a legal battle over £137,000 of service charges at his retirement development in the town. The fees concerned the notional rent for the house manager’s flat at Oakland Court, and dated back to the […]
Fraudster managing agent gets 30 months jail after using leaseholders’ cash to fund high life in Chelsea
July 26, 2012 By
Simon van Houten, 31, was given a 30-month prison sentence at the Old Bailey this afternoon after pleading guilty to stealing £122,000 from leasehold service charge accounts held by London managing agent Rendall and Rittner. Van Houten carried out the fraud for two years between 2008 and 2010 by issuing invoices for a bogus maintenance […]
