Leases

[iloveglee]

Asking all you legal eagles out there.  A friend inherited a house from his mother, about 15 years ago.  The house had been extended when his mother and stepfather bought it, about 25 or so years ago.  At the time of the extension, they did not seek permission from the leaseholder for this work. 

All these years later, he has received a letter from the estates management company to tell him he owes them £450 by way of a fee for payment of the permission his mother and her husband did not seek.

He is ususally resident in Brazil, lives here for 4 months of the year so knows nothing about any of this.  

My question firstly is, is there any kind of statute of limitations on a 'debt' of this kind, and if there is not, is he liable for it, as he was not the owner of the property when the extension took place.  

It has given me cause to wonder also, our house was extended before we bought it, and we don't know if that owner applied for permission.  We have had further extensions done and didn't seek permission.  Is this likely to cause us any problems down the line.  We don't even know who owns the lease (999 years when the house was built about 80 years ago).  We deal with an estates and management company.

Thanks for any insights anyone may have. 

[calmck]

The management company will know the leaseholder of your house. I think that when the parents bought building alterations should have been noted in the pre sale paperwork forms and also in yours

[iloveglee]

I can't remember when we bought our house anything in the conveyance about an extension/permission for etc, I just know that the kitchen had been extended.

The friend's house, when his mother/stepfather bought the house it had not been extended.  They had the extension built and this is the subject of this letter.  He inherited the house, so should something have been picked up during the probabe process??  

We have had offers from our leaseholder management company to buy the lease in the past, but there is nothing showing on their website now.  Will obviously have to speak to them.