Freeholder on commercial property refusing to give me lease agreement following wife's death to sell her estate to pay off government debts etc

[LouLou1986]

My wife passed away last year in August. She sold our house in 2020 for a commercial leasehold for £75k. I was under the impression it was the freehold she had bought and the flat above the commercial property.

Since her passing I have discovered we rented the flat and paid for leasehold for 125years on the shop below from the same landlord. This landlord wants me to forfeit the shop to him for nothing. She entrusted him with the sale of our house and the purchase of the leasehold. And instructed his solicitors to do so.

He keeps saying I owe him rent for the ground floor at £100 a month?! But the leasehold was paid in full. He was charging my wife this and I have only found out about it now.

I have put up the leasehold for sale and he is refusing to provide me with a copy of the lease agreement my late wife entrusted him to keep safe. Hess instructed the solicitors who dealt with it to refuse to speak to me and supply me with a copy. This has been going on for just over a year now.

He keeps sending out threats in emails. Has threatened my partner saying he has money and do what he likes basically and wanted her address. He broke into the property and changed the locks saying he had a possession order. But when police were involved he did not have any such thing and had to return the keys to me. His solicitors also advised police on this.

I have an interested party to purchase the leasehold in which they rang him. And he said they can buy the leasehold only if they buy the whole block of properties he has surrounding it as freeholder.

He is been extremely unreasonable and unfair. Has caused my current partners mental health to deteriorate. And he is aware of this but still persists to bully and harrass.

He has sent an email today saying he is now using agencies to check mine and my partner's current universal credit claims, debts etc and will find out where she lives and send them there.

He can try all this because we have nothing to hide. But that is a direct threat in writing of I am not mistaken?

I have rang to make an appointment with the local MP and informed the Legal ombudsman regarding the solicitors withholding documents.

I must add I do have full probate of my late wifes estate and can only clear any outstanding debts via the sale of her estate in which the freeholder knows all of this.

Hope somewhere can point us in the right direction because I don't know how much more we can take. TIA

 

[Nicky Boy]

Hi LouLou and welcome to CAG,

I've spaced your post above to make it easier to read on small devices. (Many of us use them).

Could you please do similar in future posts?

Someone should be along to offer advice later.

Thanks.

[LouLou1986]

Hi Nickyboy,

Sorry about that and thank you. It's my first time on here and just desperate for advice. Will do in future.

Thank you

[honeybee13]

Apologies, wrong thread.

HB

[AndyOrch]

A good conveyancing solicitor is what is required.