Trying to establish who owns a block of flats ...

[Snoopy1948]

• I wonder if someone could give me some guidance here.
  
  We have a block of flats opposite out own and we are trying to find out who owns them. Local enquiries reveal that the block was built to provide 24 luxury leasehold flats around 2005 but we believethat following the developers going into receivership, some flats may have been sold but those were bought back when the majority never sold ( we suspect the price points were massively overvalued ) and local gossip is thatthe block was sold to a London HA for social housing although we have no idea if all 24 flats went to the same HA. But this information is hearsay.
  
  I have been on Landregistry.gov.uk today and all 24 flats appear with individual title, labelled 'Tenure-Freehold'.There is also a side note on every property that states :

"Important - This row refers to a title that is duplicated elsewhere in the results table, as the title belongs to more than one property.The number in brackets will show you which other properties share this title. Please make sure you only purchase documents for one of these titles, as we cannot offer a refund for anydocuments you have purchased once you have downloaded them."
I have attached a copy on just one of the flats and I am confused how to read this. Is there anything I can now do to confirm who owns this building or clarify how the block is being run. I have located the local managing agents who manage just the flat tenancies, not the block, and they just state that they cannot confirm the owner of the block as they would be committing a date protection offence.

[wales01man]

Re: Trying to establish who owns a block of flats ...

Can I ask why you need to know?
If that's all the land registry have hard to see where else you could look to get the info is there by chance a LTD company in the name of the block this sometimes is the case

[R0b]

Re: Trying to establish who owns a block of flats ...

It would seem that on reading, MARDAN (BEXHILL) LIMITED are the registered owners of the land as stated on the front page. However, if there has been recent activity this may not be accurately up to date as the Land Registry have around up to 6 months delay in registering new owners of the land.

If there were any leases under these block of flats you would normally see a sub-heading called Schedule of Leases and it would list the names of each lease. There does not appear to be any on this one.

If you are saying that Mardan Limited are the ones who have gone into receivership, I would suggest that you contact the Land Registry, give them the title number SX89221 and explain that you are aware that the registered land owners Mardan Limited have gone into receivership and would like to know whether there is anything pending and they should be able to confirm to you if there is or isn't and how long that would take.

[wales01man]

Re: Trying to establish who owns a block of flats ...

The company still exists and one of the directors is a director of numerous companies which seem to each be the owner of property blocks of flats it seems cannot see its in receivership at the moment

registerd at companies house in 2015 still trading and filing accounts

[Snoopy1948]

Re: Trying to establish who owns a block of flats ...

Hi Rob & wales01man ..... appreciate the input. :goodjob:

The reason that I am interested in this block is that I have bought a flat in the block directly opposite and am actively appealing against the current council tax bandings that are without doubt extremely high. My appeal by the VOA was rejected on the basis that the flats opposite ( the ones I am interested in ) are banded like for like and therefore I have no valid complaint. I am now taking the appeal to a 'late' tribunal ( as I did not take it within 3 months of the rejection ) and I need some solid evidence to go with that.

I have four points of evidence to produce and the main one is the 'like for like comparison' on the flats in question are 'red herrings' as the flats, although built to sell as a luxury development, never did sell and the reasons I am being given are that their price point was excessive and there were many problems with the build that most, if not all of them, could not be sold. All this information is to date hearsay and even the local councillor has been unable to help me. The block is currently tenanted and I have been told that they are through a housing association, but again that is hearsay. The block's condition is awful and we never see maintenance being done There are 24 flats there and with council tax bandings F (2x), D (5x) and the rest, 17, at band E.

These bands are clearly wrong and therefore my aim is to contact the property owners and hopefully discuss this situation as it is primarily in their favour as well. The bandings were obviously set at the final stage of development and probably on the sail launch prices ( which were never obtained ) so I maintain those bandings were a complete red herring, perhaps even a 'banding injustice'. I have spoken to the local managing agents ( who manage the tenancies ) but not, according to them the maintenance of the block, and they refuse to put me in touch with the owners.

I was confused on the Land Registry Document as there is no mention of any individual leaseholds. I guess my first try is to contact Mardan ( Bexhill ) limited and take it from there although I suspect that will be another stone wall! The Land Registry Document just seems to mention the purchase of the properties that were demolished to make way for the block of flats development and I found that confusing too.

[R0b]

Re: Trying to establish who owns a block of flats ...

The LR will state if there are leaseholds as there will be two separate bits of information - it may say Freehold then underneath leasehold where you can get the documents if they have been sent to the Land Registry.

Done a map inquiry search and this is what comes up relating to that on or around that property. There are three plots which are leasehold, 45A, 43A and Ground Floor, not sure if they are helpful to you but they could identify the owner of the land that way.

Alternatively your option would be to contact the LR as suggested.