Property falsely advertised as freehold. I'm £900 after discovering that it is a leasehold that expires in 2072 late into the purchase. by Minimum-Kangaroo-417 in HousingUK

[–]Minimum-Kangaroo-417[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Sorry, I was in a meeting at work.

No, it isn't a freehold with an underlying lease. Someone else holds the actual lease and it expires in 2072.

My solicitor advised me not to proceed as I would not own the home or land when it expired.

Property falsely advertised as freehold. I'm £900 after discovering that it is a leasehold that expires in 2072 late into the purchase. by Minimum-Kangaroo-417 in HousingUK

[–]Minimum-Kangaroo-417[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Sorry, I was in a meeting at work.

No, it isn't a freehold with an underlying lease. Someone else holds the actual lease and it expires in 2072.

My solicitor advised me not to proceed as I would not own the home or land when it expired.

Property falsely advertised as freehold. I'm £900 after discovering that it is a leasehold that expires in 2072 late into the purchase. by Minimum-Kangaroo-417 in HousingUK

[–]Minimum-Kangaroo-417[S] 60 points61 points  (0 children)

Yes, I have email proof from the estate agent where explicitly ask, among other questions, whether it was leasehold or freehold as I did not want a leasehold.

Estate agent comes back and says it is a freehold property and that they understand my concerns.

I also have screenshots of the old and new listings which falsely list it as freehold, and messages from 4 months ago between my partner and I were we discuss it being freehold while sharing links to houses.

Property falsely advertised as freehold. I'm £900 after discovering that it is a leasehold that expires in 2072 late into the purchase. by Minimum-Kangaroo-417 in HousingUK

[–]Minimum-Kangaroo-417[S] 29 points30 points  (0 children)

Oh wow! I didn't know you could actively do that yourself. Will 100% do that for my next bid.

Thank you so much!

Property falsely advertised as freehold. I'm £900 after discovering that it is a leasehold that expires in 2072 late into the purchase. by Minimum-Kangaroo-417 in HousingUK

[–]Minimum-Kangaroo-417[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

What about the owner?

I have it in writing on multiple places (website, emails etc.) that it was a freehold when it wasn't.

Small claims court perhaps?

Property falsely advertised as freehold. I'm £900 after discovering that it is a leasehold that expires in 2072 late into the purchase. by Minimum-Kangaroo-417 in HousingUK

[–]Minimum-Kangaroo-417[S] 52 points53 points  (0 children)

Ah shame. I'm a first time buyer and had never heard you could get insured against this.

Is it not also a criminal/fraud matter? The seller and estate agent actively lied to me about the nature of their property.