Fixed Rent £6 per year?

[Lucy Shepherd]

Does anyone know if a fixed rent of £6 per year for a three bedroomed flat in Ealing, London could be challenged? I inherited the property several years ago from a grandparent who had inherited it from her father's estate who had left it as fixed rental. Solicitor (executor of will) running the estate says the rent can't be changed, so basically I get nothing.

[mariner]

Anything that old is prob Rent Act or earlier. How long has current T (if any) been in occupation?
Get hold of the property Deeds to see when great 'grandfather bought property, any restrictive Covenants etc.
Talk to Valuation Office Agency.
You get the property, so pres can sell it.

[Lawcruncher]

Is the flat on a long lease?

[jta]

I'm sure the rent for the flat was quoted as £5 earlier this morning, now it's £6.......a massive 20% increase.

[Interlaken]

I thought you could only increase regulated tenancy rents by 3% every 2 years so 20% in a couple of hours is massive!

[theartfullodger]

Do you have a copy if the original lease? Was there an end date, if so what?

Are current tenants original, if not what relationship?

[jpkeates]

This has to be ground rent on a long leasehold.

[Lucy Shepherd]

Yes, I think for the life of the tenant and then they can pass it onto a relative for their life... when they die the flat is sold and then we inherit

[Lucy Shepherd]

Yes, quite!

[Lucy Shepherd]

Yes for life I believe, and then passed onto next of kin for their life, but still at £6 per month. I hate to sound like a greedy landlord but I'm sure this is not what my great grandfather had in mind as a good investment and I wondered if it could be challenged in any way

[Lucy Shepherd]

I'm not sure how long but I believe it must have been bought in the 1950's or before, the original tenant has probably died and passed it onto a relation by now. The solicitor is aged 90ish and really difficult to get any information out of her. She just says any rent has been spent on repairs, but that being the case I can't understand how there is enough rent for repairs even. Getting the property deeds from her will be difficult I think, but I will contact the Valuation Office Agency to see what they say, so thank you for that.

[jpkeates]

For a copy of the title deeds, you want the land registry - a copy of the deeds should cost £3 if they are available electronically.
But that won't help you with the tenant.

The valuation agency will tell you if its a rent act (regulated) tenancy and the rent has been registered.

If you have inherited the property what is the estate and executor's involvement?
It's either yours or it isn't.

If it is a regulated tenancy you can, in theory, put the rent up.
But there are many hoops to jump through.

[jta]

I had a regulated tenant when I bought a property.

The first time I applied for a rent increase I was awarde about double the registered rent up till then, this was the first time the rent was increased, after that every 2nd year I had to apply again. He eventually died. I was then able to increase the rent to a market value.

You've just gotta outlive him, we had many offers to buy the property from us in the years we had him as a tenant altho' the offers were only IRO 50% of the value of the flat unencumbered.

[Ericthelobster]

still at £6 per month.

Blimey, after this morning's 20% increase, now it's gone up by 12-fold!

I'm sure this is not what my great grandfather had in mind as a good investment

How did the rent ever come to be so low in the first place, though? £6/year sounds like a medieval rent rate; it must have been tiny even when your g-grandfather set it.

[Lawcruncher]

Only guessing, but this sounds some like sort of arrangement with an employee (perhaps old retainer). Anyway, whatever the reason for it 60 years ago if it is documented there is no way of challenging it now.