Ground Rent Issue

A question about : Ground Rent Issue

Hi,

I moved into an apartment in September 2014 as an owner and was aware that I would be paying ground rent but wasn't sure when or how much it would be.

Fast forward to Feb and I have had just had an email from my solicitor and a debt collector saying I now owe Ј494 for late payment of a Ј150 ground rent which should have been paid last September!

I received absolutely NO bills in the post and my solicitor didn't give me any information regarding my ground rent.

Anyone had anything similar or got any advise.

Much appreciated.

Best answers:

• Check your paperwork. Sol should have provided accounts and a full statement of what u pay and when. Did u not ask about this before u offered?
• Your solicitorsw should have notified the freeholder of your purchase of the flat. Did they? If not then the freeholders would have been sending demands to the wrong address.
  You are kliable for any arrears of ground rent built up by the previous lessee, but then your solicitors should have found out if there were any such arreeras and made sure they were paid at or before completion of your purchase.
• Did your Sol hold a retainer from both parties to cover arrears? If not, why not?
• Thanks for the replies.
  Further to this, apologies for writing at strange times (I'm working nightshifts this week zzzz)...
  My sol has come back and said that I was emailed an invoice (addressed to the previous owner) dated for Sept and I have found that email. The invoice wasn't addressed to myself and the sol never in actual words said that I needed to PAY it, they just said pls see ground rent invoice for Sept attached. Given the fact this was a small part of the email where they were asking for me to transfer the final fees of my apartment, it was easy to miss. To add to this, the lettings agent continued to send reminders to the old tenants after the ground rent was never paid.
  I think I am going to just pay the Ј350's worth of late fees but then I would like this looked into. Best option would be the ombudsman I believe? I am not sure who is at fault here most - myself, the sol or the letting agent. Either way it feels that I am the loser out of all of this!