More from @BBCLondonNews tonight with @guy_lynn and @RizLateef.
— Dan Bruce (@dannybster) December 19, 2023
Also, a scathing review by @LKPleasehold's @sebastianokelly of #leasehold, the #BuildingSafetyCrisis, the UK's inability to build safe, quality apartment blocks, and the need for consumer protections.… pic.twitter.com/IurJEy1PnF
An appallingly built block of seven flats in Camden, Agar Grove, featured on BBC London news last night.
It was only built in 2018 but the build defects are so bad that the four flats that were sold for £800-900,000 are now valueless. Three of the flats still belong to the original developer, Prime Metro Development, a minnow company with an associated local estate agency. The fact that they are unsold, suggests the issues with Agar Court became widely known before it sold out.
According to BBC reporter Guy Lynn’s report, jewellery designer and leaseholder Alexandra Druzhin said: “We’re just scared it’s all going to collapse one day, with us in it, and we will die.”
Images of the wobbling walls, fascia that pulls away by hand, ceilings with multiple holes caused by leaks, do suggest the building is in dire condition.
Leaseholder Dan Bruce told LKP that the three leaseholders had spent £350,000 on legal fees wrestling with the developer, contractor and warranty provider Acasta European Insurance Company Limited, “regulated and licensed by the Financial Services Commission of Gibraltar”. In spite of the expense, nothing has yet come to court.
The issues are reported in the TV clip above and on the BBC website here:
Camden leaseholders: Fears mount as troubled flats deteriorate
Leaseholders who bought new-build flats are enduring a nightmare over structural defects.
And in the Sunday Times here:
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/fixing-our-shoddy-new-build-homes-could-bankrupt-us-nkb3f2gjf
Housing secretary Michael Gove wrote to Acasta in May describing its behaviour as “unacceptable” and described the plight faced by the leaseholders as “deplorable”.
According to Mr Bruce the leases are for 125 years, no service charges have been paid for three years and although he believes there is ground rent, none has been demanded.
There appear to be reports stating that the building needs to be demolished and rebuilt.
How is it possible that a block of flats can be built so badly and home purchasers left stranded in properties that are now valueless and possibly dangerous, and that redress is proving incredibly difficult?
As Michael Gove stated, purchasers of washing machines have better protection.
After the programme, Labour MP Mike Amesbury – the site is in Sir Keir Starmer’s London constituency – raised the matter again with the housing minister Lee Rowley.
Related posts:
Hallmark Property Group seeks to put 44 flats worth £15m on top of a block with ACM cladding, waking watch, a B2 rating after EWS1 … and 75 utterly stressed out leaseholders
Leasehold owners of flats worth £60,000 are hit with £1 million refurb bill after freehold is scooped up in auction
Ted Baillieu, ex-pm of Victoria, tells London cladding leaseholders that Australians identified flats most at risk and sorted them out first (but there were loans to flat owners)
Countryside Properties is selling London flats at The Mount, Mill Hill, with £300pa doubling ground rents
Signal Building leaseholders told to sell flats back to Southwark council
Dump the two-storey ‘ill-considered’ planning give-away to freeholders, says Sir Julian Lewis
Just wondering how this has anything to do with leasehold ? If these flats were built and sold commonhold these issues would be solved ?
Interested,
Those flats are in fact Leasehold and not Commonhold, unfortunately.
Welcome to the “Wild West” of England & Wales Leasehold – Freehold housing racket. You may have already have come to the conclusion that you have no real chance of redress of grievance and will ultimately have to pay to put matters right out of your own pocket. Those responsible for creating this shambles may simply walk away at no cost to them selves.
What about all those regulations that are supposed to protect the Great British Public from the dreadful situation that you find your selves in through no fault of you own? Those regulations only serve those responsible for creating the “as is” in my view.
The introduction of “Commonhold” is the only way forward in my opinion.
Referring to the post by “Interested “commonhold would not make these problems go away
It is failure of Building Control and the insurers who offer worthless guarantees. More meaningful guarantees where the premium will not be a token sum underwritten by household name insurance companies are required
Exactly.
That’s why this article does not really highlight issues with leasehold. It highlights issues with building control and warranties and not sure it’s relevant to LKP agenda.
Because the whole rotten system of leasehold creates an environment whereby crooks like those who built the flats feel they can get away with it.
Thanks to the Leaseholder Knowledge Partnership for featuring so many relevant articles about the Freehold – Leasehold sector racket and its obvious failures.
The outrage it must generate from many Leaseholders and a ever growing number of Freeholders, must be immeasurable. Those articles clearly demonstrate to me the need for the abolition of Leasehold and the introduction of Commonhold with immediate effect.
You really could not make those articles up they are the stuff of nightmares.
Debt Collectors – Maybeck Collections Limited.
It is reported that the above firm are now collecting debts on behalf of “Firstport Retirement Property Services Limited and other connected Company’s”
The Directors of that firm are Mr. Steve John Perrett and Mr. Ouda Saleh. This firms registered office was changed on the 05.10.2023 from “Queensway” BH25 to “Whittington Hall” WR5 2ZX.
I have noticed complaints on other web sites that Leaseholders are being chased by this debt collector for payment that was previously made, or being charged for late payment for service charge demand not received and other similar issues.
The above firms are, according to my research, connected Company’s with at least one common Director?
It would appear to me that the United Kingdoms largest and best self proclaimed property managing agent, is now in the business of collecting its own debts by all Legal means available?