Residents Update 31st January 2015

Elba Ground Rent Dispute

Residents Update

31st January 2015

As you will be aware we have obtained the advice of a specialist barrister, Mr Douglas Readings, regarding the dispute over our revised ground rents.

We had intended that we would also be able to instruct Mr Readings should it be necessary to take a test case to a Leasehold Valuation Tribunal.

However, it transpires that Mr Readings had previously given advice to Lliw Valley in 1995 and consequently, he is prevented from acting any further for either party due to a conflict of interest.

 Whilst the situation involving Mr Readings is frustrating, we would stress that this could not have been foreseen by the Action Group as we were until now unaware of his previous involvement with Lliw.  Usually, this would have been identified by checks carried out by Mr Reading's chambers before he accepted instructions. 

The conflict may have escaped detection given that his records would only have shown that he had advised Lliw Valley, rather than the City and County of Swansea which absorbed Lliw in the late 1990s.

We are already in the process of selecting an alternative barrister and of course this does not affect our specialist surveyor, Mr Edward Rutledge, who will continue to act on our behalf.

The Action Group