• Menu
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Before Header

  • Home
  • What is LKP
  • Find everything …
  • Contact
Donate

Leasehold Knowledge Management Logo

Secretariat of the All Party Parliamentary Group on leasehold reform

Mobile Menu

  • Home
  • What is LKP
  • Find everything …
  • Contact
  • Advice
  • News
    • Find everything …
    • About Peverel group
    • APPG
    • ARMA
    • Bellway
    • Benjamin Mire
    • Brixton Hill Court
    • Canary Riverside
    • Charter Quay
    • Chelsea Bridge Wharf
    • Cladding scandal
    • Competition and Markets Authority / OFT
    • Commonhold
    • Communities Select Committee
    • Conveyancing Association
    • Countrywide
    • MHCLG
    • E&J Capital Partners
    • Exit fees
    • FirstPort
    • Fleecehold
    • Forfeiture
    • FPRA
    • Gleeson Homes
    • Ground rent scandal
    • Hanover
    • House managers flat
    • House of Lords
    • Housing associations
    • Informal lease extension
    • Insurance
    • IRPM
    • JB Leitch
    • Jim Fitzpatrick MP
    • John Christodoulou
    • Justin Bates
    • Justin Madders MP
    • Law Commission
    • LEASE
    • Liam Spender
    • Local authority leasehold
    • London Assembly
    • Louie Burns
    • Martin Paine
    • McCarthy and Stone
    • Moskovitz / Gurvits
    • Mulberry Mews
    • National Leasehold Campaign
    • Oakland Court
    • Park Homes
    • Parliament
    • Persimmon
    • Peverel
    • Philip Rainey QC
    • Plantation Wharf
    • Press
    • Property tribunal
    • Prostitutes
    • Quadrangle House
    • Redrow
    • Retirement
    • Richard Davidoff
    • RICS
    • Right To Manage Federation
    • Roger Southam
    • Rooftop development
    • RTM
    • Sean Powell
    • SFO
    • Shared ownership
    • Sinclair Gardens Investments
    • Sir Ed Davey
    • Sir Peter Bottomley
    • St George’s Wharf
    • Subletting
    • Taylor Wimpey
    • Tchenguiz
    • Warwick Estates
    • West India Quay
    • William Waldorf Astor
    • Windrush Court
  • Parliament
  • Accreditation
  • [Custom]
Menu
  • Advice
  • News
      • Find everything …
      • About Peverel group
      • APPG
      • ARMA
      • Bellway
      • Benjamin Mire
      • Brixton Hill Court
      • Canary Riverside
      • Charter Quay
      • Chelsea Bridge Wharf
      • Cladding scandal
      • Competition and Markets Authority / OFT
      • Commonhold
      • Communities Select Committee
      • Conveyancing Association
      • Countrywide
      • MHCLG
      • E&J Capital Partners
      • Exit fees
      • FirstPort
      • Fleecehold
      • Forfeiture
      • FPRA
      • Gleeson Homes
      • Ground rent scandal
      • Hanover
      • House managers flat
      • House of Lords
      • Housing associations
      • Informal lease extension
      • Insurance
      • IRPM
      • JB Leitch
      • Jim Fitzpatrick MP
      • John Christodoulou
      • Justin Bates
      • Justin Madders MP
      • Law Commission
      • LEASE
      • Liam Spender
      • Local authority leasehold
      • London Assembly
      • Louie Burns
      • Martin Paine
      • McCarthy and Stone
      • Moskovitz / Gurvits
      • Mulberry Mews
      • National Leasehold Campaign
      • Oakland Court
      • Park Homes
      • Parliament
      • Persimmon
      • Peverel
      • Philip Rainey QC
      • Plantation Wharf
      • Press
      • Property tribunal
      • Prostitutes
      • Quadrangle House
      • Redrow
      • Retirement
      • Richard Davidoff
      • RICS
      • Right To Manage Federation
      • Roger Southam
      • Rooftop development
      • RTM
      • Sean Powell
      • SFO
      • Shared ownership
      • Sinclair Gardens Investments
      • Sir Ed Davey
      • Sir Peter Bottomley
      • St George’s Wharf
      • Subletting
      • Taylor Wimpey
      • Tchenguiz
      • Warwick Estates
      • West India Quay
      • William Waldorf Astor
      • Windrush Court
  • Parliament
  • Accreditation
You are here: Home / News / Forfeiture / Leasehold pensioner reprieved from forfeiture … but the legal bill is £76,000 and rising

Leasehold pensioner reprieved from forfeiture … but the legal bill is £76,000 and rising

February 26, 2013 //  by Sebastian O'Kelly

Dennis Jackson, 73, faced losing his home and his life-savings in a forfeiture action heard behind closed doors today
Dennis Jackson, 73, faced losing his home and his life-savings in a forfeiture action heard behind closed doors today

The pensioner who had the lease on his £800,000 flat forfeited won a reprieve today when his mortgage lender stepped in to pay his outstanding debts.

Dennis Jackson, 73, a former commercial photographer, had the lease on his split-level flat at Plantation Wharf in Battersea forfeited last month and had 28 days to be out of the property.

But in a court action this morning – the day before Jackson faced being ruined and made homeless – the Prudential, which has a £175,000 mortgage on the property, undertook to pay the outstanding debt.

Ninety per cent of the amount owed is accounted for in legal fees for the freeholder, Cube Real Estate. The original dispute involved only £7,000 in service charges.

It was most unusual for a forfeiture order to have been granted, which had it not been lifted would have utterly ruined Jackson and made him homeless. It would have granted Cube Real Estate the windfall of a valuable property, destroyed Jackson’s life-savings and lost the Prudential its £175,000 loan.

Before the court case this morning, the Leasehold Knowledge Partnership was active to ensure that this calamity was avoided.

Sir Peter Bottomley, MP for Worthing West, and Battersea MP Jane Ellison, have been actively involved in the case, as has Tidjane Thiam, the chief executive of the Prudential.

Housing minister Mark Prisk has been kept informed throughout by Sir Peter, who has also raised the issue with the Ministry of Justice.

In an extraordinary decision, Deputy District Judge Colquhoun held the hearing in private and ordered from the court Sebastian O’Kelly and Martin Boyd, of the Leasehold Knowledge Partnership.

Bastin2This meant that Jackson faced losing everything he has in a court from which the public were excluded.

Alexander Bastin (left), counsel for freeholder Cinnamon Wharf, part of Cube Real Estate, objected to the presence of the two non-participants.

“This is a private money matter,” he told the judge. “There are Human Rights Act issues and one of those present [O’Kelly] is from the press.”

Jackson made clear his wish that the two remain. The barrister from the Prudential also made clear he had no objection.

Judge Colquhoun was persuaded by Bastin’s objection and the hearing – at which Jackson had no legal representation – was heard in private.

The Prudential undertook to settle Jackson’s £76,086.66 legal bill – which included a bill of £4,750.20 from Bastin and solicitor Janice Northover, of Brecher, for the 10-minute hearing.

Northover has made clear that she is appealing for additional legal costs from an earlier LVT case in July 2012. She will be doing so on behalf of Plantation Wharf Management, which is in fact controlled by the residents.

Jackson is selling his flat and will have to repay Prudential from the proceeds. He is being charged interest of 6.6 per cent.

“I am just delighted that I am not going to be thrown out on the streets and have everything I have ever earned taken away from me,” said a tearful Jackson after the hearing.

The Leasehold Knowledge Partnership will be raising the issue of the public being barred from attending the case with the Ministry of Justice.

Related posts:

Default ThumbnailFury at ‘life-shattering’ forfeiture case held in a secret court Default ThumbnailSunday Times reports the forfeiture scandal of Dennis Jackson at Plantation Wharf Default ThumbnailBattersea MP wades into Jackson leasehold forfeiture dispute Default ThumbnailPlantation Wharf leasehold pensioner has forfeiture order on his £800,000 flat Default ThumbnailPlantation Wharf pensioner wins 28-day reprieve on forfeiture

Category: Forfeiture, News, Plantation Wharf, Sir Peter BottomleyTag: Alexander Bastin, Dennis Jackson, Forfeiture, Janice Northover, Plantation Wharf, Sir Peter Bottomley

Latest Tweets

Tweets by @LKPleasehold

Mentions

Anthony Essien (34) APPG (37) ARMA (87) Bellway (30) Benjamin Mire (32) Cladding scandal (71) Clive Betts MP (31) CMA (45) Commonhold (52) Competition and Markets Authority (41) Countryside Properties plc (33) FirstPort (42) Grenfell cladding (56) Ground rents (54) Harry Scoffin (150) James Brokenshire MP (31) Jim Fitzpatrick (35) Jim Fitzpatrick MP (30) Justin Bates (40) Justin Madders MP (67) Katie Kendrick (37) Law Commission (60) LEASE (66) Leasehold Advisory Service (62) Leasehold houses (32) Long Harbour (48) Martin Boyd (80) McCarthy and Stone (39) National Leasehold Campaign (38) Persimmon (49) Peverel (61) Property tribunal (49) Redrow (30) Retirement (37) Robert Jenrick (33) Roger Southam (47) Sajid Javid (38) Sebastian O’Kelly (55) Sir Peter Bottomley (201) Taylor Wimpey (106) Tchenguiz (33) The Guardian (33) The Times (31) Vincent Tchenguiz (43) Waking watch contracts (40)
Previous Post: « Why does it take 60% of leasehold residents to create a tenants’ association – and only 30% of his constituency to elect Housing Minister Mark Prisk?
Next Post: Dennis Jackson at Plantation Wharf: An £800,000 forfeiture over-turned by LKP Dennis Jackson Plantation Wharf»

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. admin

    February 26, 2013 at 9:46 pm

    From Susan Hunt:

    Just goes to prove that the law is an ass and justice only belongs to those who can afford it!

    • David Taylor

      March 1, 2013 at 10:28 am

      Mr Jackson may have been naive initiating his action without legal representation, but his claim and that of his co-claimant appears justified. Managing agents charging for non-existent services is not uncommon on leasehold estates. Plantation Wharf residents should question en masse the cruel pursuit of Mr Jackson by their association’s board. They should give thanks for the reduction in their service charges bought about by Mr Jackson’s vigilance and doggedness. One must also question the motive behind the case. The lesson for leaseholders is bleak. Freeholders and their managing agents have privileged status and the wherewithal to protect it.

Above Footer

Advising leaseholders. Avoiding disasters.
Stopping forfeiture. Exposing abuses. Urging reform.

We depend on individuals for the majority of our funding.

Support Us and Donate

LKP Managing Agents

Become an LKP Managing Agent

Common Ground
Adam Church
Blocnet property management2

Stay in Touch

To achieve victory in the leasehold game where you are playing against professionals and with rules that they know all too well - stay informed with the LKP newsletter.
Sign Up for Newsletter

Professional Directory

The following advertisements are from firms that seek business from leaseholders.
Click on the logos for company profiles.

Footer

About LKP

  • What is LKP
  • Privacy and data

Categories

  • News
  • Cladding scandal
  • Commonhold
  • Law Commission
  • Fleecehold
  • Parliament
  • Press
  • APPG

Contact

Leasehold Knowledge Partnership
Open Data Institute
5th Floor
Kings Place
London N1 9AG

sok@leaseholdknowledge.com

Copyright © 2023 Leasehold Knowledge Partnership | All rights reserved
Leasehold Knowledge Partnership Limited (company number: 08999652) is a company limited by guarantee that is a registered charity (number: 1162584) with the Charities Commission.
LKP website is hosted at www.34sp.com
Website by Callia Web