• 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 / Latest News / LKP reverses forfeiture of suicide’s flat securing family £40,000

LKP reverses forfeiture of suicide’s flat securing family £40,000

June 23, 2021 //  by Sebastian O'Kelly

An unutterably sad window into a life … A man who committed suicide and whose body was left undiscovered in his flat in Kettering for more than two years had his lease forfeited by the landlord.

The man had led a reclusive life for some years following the death of his son in a cycling accident aged 12.

It was only when bailiffs broke into the property to enforce forfeiture that the dead man’s body was discovered.

The debts of the deceased were around £700, but the legal costs ramped up in obtaining forfeiture, which was granted in August 2018.

The Leasehold Knowledge Partnership managed to persuade the freeholder to hand over the proceeds of the flat to the dead man’s mother when it was eventually sold at auction for £65,000 last month. Combined legal and other costs accounted for £22,000.

The family chose to make a donation of £1,000 to LKP for its assistance in obtaining the repayment of the remainder.

Related posts:

Bob Marley lover forfeitureBob Marley lover faces forfeiture of Chelsea flat Default ThumbnailPlantation Wharf leasehold pensioner has forfeiture order on his £800,000 flat Woman has £165,000 flat forfeited over what began as £290 ground rent demand Default ThumbnailLeasehold pensioner reprieved from forfeiture … but the legal bill is £76,000 and rising Long Harbour hits reverse on forfeiture to £800,000 flat over £400 ground rent … and JB Leitch halves its legal bill

Category: Forfeiture, Latest News, NewsTag: Forfeiture

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 (43) Grenfell cladding (56) Ground rents (54) Harry Scoffin (150) James Brokenshire MP (31) Jim Fitzpatrick (35) Justin Bates (40) Justin Madders MP (67) Katie Kendrick (37) Law Commission (60) LEASE (66) Leasehold Advisory Service (62) Leasehold houses (32) Liam Spender (31) 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 (32) Vincent Tchenguiz (43) Waking watch contracts (40)
Previous Post: «CMA ground rents CMA forces Aviva to re-set rip-off doubling ground rents to what they were when homes were first bought …
Next Post: And so the building safety crisis lurches towards mass forfeitures … build safety summit»

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. stephen

    June 23, 2021 at 1:58 pm

    So a debt of £700 owing from a defendant who obviously will not be engaging at all, somehow mutates to £22,000

    It would be very interesting to know how the costs racked up to £22,000 in that two year period

  2. Paddy

    June 23, 2021 at 3:38 pm

    If government does not remove English law forfeiture after this story they are a shower. Even if the deceased left a will it wouldn’t help until the death was registered alerting executors to pay off ground rents etc.

    Suicide adds even more tragedy – but loads of old folk live alone in leasehold flats isolated from family. Leaseholders, be sure to die (natural causes or otherwise) in common areas? Maybe government should circulate an advice leaflet?

    Well done LKP as ever.

  3. Rawlston

    June 24, 2021 at 9:10 am

    This greedy Freeholder should be named and shamed for their selfish inconsiderate behaviour.

  4. James

    June 24, 2021 at 9:57 am

    Name the freeholder. Obtain breakdown of legal and other costs. Ask solicitors to make a generous donation to family. Ask freeholder to make amends by paying over the balance to the family.

    • stephen

      June 24, 2021 at 9:53 pm

      James

      If you read the article carefully, you will see that LKP was able to secure the £43,000 surplus to the mother of the lessee

      It would be interesting to know the breakdown of the £22,000 in costs. It does seem most surprising, as of course any action brought by the freeholders solicitors would not have been challenged

      I do think the £1,000 donation out of the £43,000 estate was somewhat mean – an amount of just 2.5% of the inheritance. Had the family instructed a solicitor to challenge the forfeiture the costs could easily have run up to £15,000 if not considerably more. – Only specialist knowledge and having political influence (which takes years to build up) can assist in such cases.

      Heir hunters that dig out beneficiaries and unite them with an inheritance they knew nothing about often seek some 20% + as their fee

  5. Bernie Wales

    June 24, 2021 at 11:04 am

    A depressing story. Did nobody think to visit the flat? Did the freeholder and/or their managing agent not think to physically check what was happening ‘on the ground’?

    Surely there must be more to this story than you’ve shared here.

    • Karma will get you.

      June 30, 2021 at 9:20 pm

      How compassionate you are… and oh yes there is more to this story ..

      I hope readers will have a look at an item posted some time ago…
      After plc housebuilders … here comes bottom feeder Bernie

      May 15, 2017
      // by Sebastian O’Kelly

  6. David Crawford

    June 24, 2021 at 5:49 pm

    A very sad story indeed. But in cladding forfeiture cases where the cost of remediation will exceed the value of the property even after the work will the landlords take the risk of making themselves liable? Check on the planning application and permission granted as a result. If uPVC or cladding was added and a Certificate A of ownership was given when it should have been a Certificate B, as Southwark LBC has done in at least ten of its refurbishments, the planning permission can be challenged as part of a defence to a service charge demand. If the planning permission can be successfully overturned so too can the service demand based on it. There are also criminal sanctions:s.65 T&CPA 1990.

  7. ben

    June 25, 2021 at 8:55 am

    Why didn’t the deceased’s family have the door broken door to find out what had happened to him?

  8. Jimbo

    June 28, 2021 at 12:50 pm

    The financial servcies industry / solicitors circle like buzzards then name their price. Thieves, as ever.

  9. andrew hearnt

    July 30, 2021 at 8:56 pm

    Did the freeholder/managing action not think to check what was happening on the ground.

    LOL, I dont think in 10 yrs ours has ever visted. They just collect rent and charge for services not provided. Yes I’m taliking about you y&y management. And you if you read this you can threaten me with libel because I have documented proof so din’t care.

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