Ground Rent

[samken]

I bought my bunglow in October 1999 but I have never received a demand for ground rent. What is my position.

 

[Old_Geezer]

Is it freehold or leasehold ?

[samken]

Don't know. How can I tell?

[davebro3]

If it's leasehold - 999 years or summat - there may be an absentee freeholder who doesn't bother collecting his £10 pa. ground rent.

[davebro3]

this should have been made clear when you bought the property - do you have documents?

[Canary42]

Seems obviously freehold in that case.

[barry1010]

You can check the position online at the Land Registry for £3.  It is the Title Register you need to download https://www.gov.uk/get-information-about-property-and-land/copies-of-deeds

[Buenchico]

^^^ There's a cheaper way to find out if your property is freehold or leasehold.  (Only the owners of leasehold properties pay ground rent). 

Simply carry out a web search for 'house prices' together with your post code.  Then click on the Rightmove link that you're offered.  All house prices in your postcode area, for sales from 1995 onwards, will be shown, together with an indication of whether the properties are owned freehold or leashold.  (The information is sourced from the Land Registry's database, so it's just as accurate as using the Land Registry's own website).

While nearly all flats are sold on a leashold basis, only 7% of houses (including bungalows) are.  So it's far more likely that you own the freehold on your home, rather than just the leasehold.

[samken]

Only legal jargan from the builders solicitor which is not easy to understand, but as I said the ground rent has never been demanded.

 

[andres]

If you bought it outright where are the deeds? Have you got them or is your   solicitor looking after them.

[237SJ]

^ There are no deeds these days.  Details are held digitally on the Land Registry site.

[andres]

^^^ Sorry I forgot that. Mine are the old handwritten ones written in longhand on parcment. 

[andres]

^^parchment.

[Peter Pedant]

There is a huge amount of case law on ground rent as it was a source of income 200 y ago. 

The seller should have disclosed this when you bought, and indemnified you for 6 y back rent

You are only liable for 6 y back rent and then in single payments in arrears. I pay £25 every six months. They can ASK but not demand ground rent in advance or double in advance evry year. Yes they tried.

scribble scribble scribble - all this should be somewhere in the paper deeds you have

 

[ladybirder]

Why do you think you might have to pay ground rent?  You're not in a block of Leasehold flats.

I take it you are in England?

[ladybirder]

I don't see any mention of GR on these bungalows.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/HG3/bungalows.html