The Leasehold Advisory Service chief executive Anthony Essien is to make it clear to advertisers with the taxpayer-funded organisation that this does not constitute “membership” of the organisation.
Mr Essien has been alerted to the cases below, as has the housing minister Gavin Barwell, LKP patron MPs Sir Peter Bottomley and Jim Fitzpatrick, and Justin Madders MP, who has been critical of LEASE in the Commons.
Mr Essien told LKP this afternoon: “We will make clearer that there is no membership in having an entry in the [professional] directory.”
Mr Essien further confirmed that the advertising ban on the services of chartered surveyor Benjamin Mire, his company Trust Property Management, and any company that he is involved in remains in force.
It was imposed in July 2014 https://www.leaseholdknowledge.com/lease-dumps-benjamin-mire-eight-months-dithering
Mr Mire was called before the RICS disciplinary committee last year, but owing to unaccountable errors in the procedures the case was dropped. He is, however, deemed to be unfit to hold judicial office, having once held a part-time post with the property tribunal.
UPDATE March 17 09.20
Miss Cohen has claimed that this article is misinformed and has requested that it is removed.
Michael Epstein last night posted comments concerning the original Facebook exchange, but these have been removed.
Comments on this article are closed.
Sebastian O’Kelly
Trustee, LKP
Katie Cohen, a solicitor at Keystone Law, has today removed claims of being a “member of LEASE” from her firm’s website claiming that she is victim of a Facebook “vendetta”.
Miss Cohen is the second solicitor this year to remove this misleading claim from her firm’s website.
In January Caroline Clift, of Knights Solicitors representing freeholder Adriatic Land – whose ultimate ownership is hidden by nominee directors – also removed a claim of membership of LEASE.
No such membership exists, and Anthony Essien, the CEO of LEASE, informed Miss Clift:
“I want to make clear that our directory does not constitute a list of recommended practitioners.”
Miss Cohen appears to have joined the National Leasehold Campaign Facebook group, which has attracted the attention of a number of legal firms seeking instruction from aggrieved leaseholders.
There was an exchange of views with other members – now deleted – and Miss Cohen announced that she was removing herself from the group.
“I find myself in a position where my personal integrity has been questioned,” she writes. “I’ve never needed to “tout” for business or even justify my existence in the way I had to yesterday. It was an offer of help and nothing more. I wish you all the best in your campaign.”
But it then emerged that Miss Cohen described herself as a “full member of ALEP and LEASE” on the Keystone Law website. ALEP, the Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners, is a trade body with a subscription membership.
The issue of LEASE membership was raised by LKP trustee Martin Boyd, in correspondence marked “for publication”, and copied to Mr Essien.
Miss Cohen replied:
“At one stage I was involved with LEASE as part of their voluntary telephone advice service and previous firms have been a full member of LEASE – as this is clearly a vendetta against my existing firm for reasons unbeknown to me, I will ask my firm to delete any reference to LEASE in my profile.”
The reference to LEASE membership has now been removed.
Caroline Clift also exhibited confusion over membership of the Leasehold Advisory Service when the matter was raised by Sebastian O’Kelly, an LKP trustee, in January. The correspondence was copied to LKP patron MPs Sir Peter Bottomley and Jim Fitzpatrick, and Justin Madders, MP for Ellesmere Port and Neston, as well as Anthony Essien, CEO of LEASE.
Miss Clift replied:
“At the time that my bio was drafted my firm had paid to be one of the firms who were recommended by he Leasehold Advisory Service. It must have came from that.
“Unfortunately, I have not looked at my bio for sometime. Having now done so in view of the fact that I do not think we renewed our subscription I accept this does need to be updated and I will ensure that this is done today.
“I apologise for not keeping an eye on this and for any confusion.”
This response prompted Mr Essien to make clear that the professional directory of LEASE does not constitute a list of recommended practitioners.
LKP has asked Mr Essien to inform all advertisers in the LEASE directory not to claim membership of this government funded organisation.
Related posts:
[Eight] Ten days after talking tough, LEASE seems to have dropped ‘Mire for hire’
LEASE: Find some backbone, or face the chop!
Kris Hopkins says Benjamin Mire’s promotion by LEASE does not ‘constitute a recommendation’
LEASE chairman Deep Sagar to rule on Benjamin Mire advertising in its professional directory
LEASE dumps Benjamin Mire … after eight months of dithering!
Taylor Wimpey ‘stretches credulity’ by refusing to list properties sold with doubling ground rents
Well I never did!!!! I think that Mr Epstein has been vindicated!!
That was shocking yesterday, that thread was horrific!
To see a grown man act like that against a lady simply trying to get some work and at the same time help us was downright shocking,
I am surprised we didn’t lose more members, it also makes it hard for lessor confident people to comment for fear of a backlash.
Why would Katie try and stiff us, she can clearly see how angry we all are, she would be ludicrous to try anything stupid.
We need all the professional opinion we can get , Leasehold Solutions have been great but surely we need more than one opinion on everything.
I have no idea what the dispute was about and did not see it.
So why is there an article on it if you ADMIN?
Katie offered her legal services and has now had a slanderous article written against here. What is this platform, a charity or a vendetta?
A charity. The article is here because I wrote to Ms Cohen this morning and asked her why she was claiming to be a member of LEASE. She has now corrected her firms web site to remove that claim but for what ever reason accused me of being part of a vendetta against her despite the fact I have had no previous contact with her or her firm.
Well why is the article still there if it has been corrected?
I actually think her reference is to Mr Epstein not yourself.
As storm in an egg cup!!
If you thought that “shocking” and “Horrific” then you had better grow up!! “Worried”. This is purely a hunch but I don’t think you and the ‘Great dane’ etc are involved in the campaign at all – you are Ms Cohens mates aren’t you??
It was the strangest response I have ever seen to someone offering their service. Some of the people commenting were disgusting and should be banished from the group.
All Katie’s (Kendricks) amazing work can be ruined by people purely seeking blood, we can’t be taking seriously like this.
GreatvDane says people should be “Banished” from the group. Are you the pretend King/ Queen of la la land?? Banished? Tee hee how quaint.
Dear Shelia / ‘worried’/’Great Dane’ are you Ms Cohens Family????? She was robustly questioned on the Facebook site and the rest is history!! The campaign will not be damaged one Iota. In fact solicitors looking for business on the site had better have their credentials at the ready!! OK? Hope to see at the protest on Saturday 18th March 12-2pm. I am sure you would like to support the shafted leaseholders- wouldn’t you? And not just pay lip service……’ Some people just can’t handle the truth”
LEASE are advocating the same legal companies on their web site, that are also acting for the greedy landowners? It beggars belief really doesn’t it? What other industry could that happen in?
My recommendation is to find a legal firm who will categorically state that they will only work for leaseholders and not both sides.
Surely these companies should have to say whether or not there is a conflict of interest when dealing with leasehold issues?
I recall seeking the advice of a so called ‘specialist leasehold solicitor’ some years ago, only to find that they/he had acted in another matter for the then developers of the site, my enemy!
I was horrified to think of what I had discussed with him on my leasehold matters, thinking it was all confidential!
I would be very, very careful who I used for legal work.
At last Karen . A believable person . ( Apart from admin & Martin of course)
Some of the legal firms don’t just act for the greedy landlords they ARE the greedy landlords. Solicitors who own freeholds and hide behind shell companies -perfect set up, plenty of that going on….
Try telling that to fools that think solicitors are the bees knees!! They are lambs to the slaughter.
Gratitude huh!! ????????
[… REDACTED]
[… REDACTED]
[… REDACTED]
Dear Mr Epstein,. You were absolutely correct in questioning Ms Cohen as you did. I sincerely hope that the NLC have not “Banished” / No platformed you?? It will have done itself a huge disservice. I fear they will be like lambs to the slaughter. I am afraid it was becoming a bit of a ‘I feel your pain’ fest but won’t put my self out to actually do anything EG attend the protest-. 2300 on the site max 100 estimated to attend the protest . Far better to be unpopular and right. Some people can’t handle the truth.
(Cont) I too am not in the least affected by the leasehold issues. However, felt that these people needed a bit of support.
It’s easy to play poker with other people’s money.