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Forum Home  →  Discussion  →  Covid-19 issues  →  Thread

Ground rent

raissa
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Newcastle Law centre

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Total Posts: 33

Joined: 4 March 2020

Please i have a client who thinks his Ground rent is to high.He believes the company has not been keeping the area tidy.
He needs help.Any Tips on where he could be signposted

Elliot Kent
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Shelter

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Total Posts: 3127

Joined: 14 July 2014

This is a leasehold property presumably?

He could speak to CAB or the Leasehold Advisory Service (https://www.lease-advice.org/about-us/) for general advice but probably needs to speak to a property solicitor if he wants to take action.

Paul Stockton
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Epping Forest CAB

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Joined: 6 May 2014

I would expect a local Citizens Advice would be able to offer some advice on this, and help a client complain to the landlord, as a first step. But a cautionary note on terminology: “ground rent” strictly speaking is a small annual amount owners of long leases (eg 99 years +) pay to the freeholder. It’s not conditional on the freeholder doing anything. What possibly this client means is a service charge, payable under a licence or lease. People often call that a ground rent. You can argue about whether the landlord is doing enough to merit payment of the full service charge, though really this a matter of consumer law rather than housing law.

If the client seeks help from the local Citizens Advice they should make sure they take a copy of their lease or whatever document contains the service charge (however described) with them or (assuming no face to face appointments at the moment) they can get the document to the adviser by email or post.