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<DIV>Of course, when it comes to property, I can’t shut up.</DIV>
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<DIV>I didn’t know that, about floating freeholds, but it is certainly true that
a whole aspect of leasehold, which had not been mentioned until Jeremy did, is
the business of restrictions (or covenants? no, probably not – that’s another
can of worms). Of course, we have a number of restrictions about what we
leaseholders can and cannot do.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I haven’t really experienced mad people, but certainly believe it.
Without question, there are “difficult” people. Another group to steer
clear of – if I may generalise – is that of retired solicitors: time on their
hands and a lot of legal knowledge, plus an intimate knowledge of the leasehold
restrictions, can make life awkward for those committing the least
infringement. A friend of mine bought a burnt out boathouse on the Thames
on land owned by a developer who built a block of flats. She rebuilt the
boathouse in that wooden Swiss chalet style along the original lines, and the
tenants of the block of flats have given her hell over the years.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I agree strongly over flat roofs How they succeed in other countries
I don’t know, but we had problems with our house (built in 1936), even though my
father was well able to (and did)patch it up. He always regretted not
paying the extra £50 for one without a flat roof (it was just a bit over part of
the living room).</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Stuart</DIV>
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<DIV style="font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A title=vwoolf@lists.osu.edu>Jeremy
Hawthorn via Vwoolf</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, July 15, 2020 3:19 PM</DIV>
<DIV><B>To:</B> <A title=vwoolf@lists.osu.edu>vwoolf@lists.osu.edu</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> Re: [Vwoolf] The Ramsays in Skye - owning or
renting?</DIV></DIV></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></DIV>
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<P>Mark - <BR></P>
<P>You are right to distinguish England (and Wales) from Scotland. A quick
Google confirms that "When buying a residential property in Scotland, there is
no freehold and leasehold distinction. Generally, what you buy in Scotland is
100% yours and you can say everything is 'freehold' in Scotland. In Scotland,
once you buy a property, you can usually give a tenancy to someone else so they
can occupy it for a rent." So that Leslie Stephen (with a holiday house in
England) and Mr Ramsay (with one in Scotland) are in quite different
situations.</P>
<P>When I bought a unit in a block of flats (apartments) in England in the early
1970s a lawyer told me that one should never buy a unit in a block freehold, as
if you do you (or your neighbours) will end with something called floating
freehold, which makes it very difficult to stop owners doing anti-social things.
In such situations leasehold is (I was told) a form of protection, as the owner
of the property (the leaser) retains certain rights that can prevent lessees
doing mad and objectionable things with and in their flats. Why (or if) this is
not the case in Scotland, I know not.</P>
<P>Of course, you should also check how many years your lease has to run . .
.<BR></P>
<P>One thing I have learned re owning a flat / apartment is this. In every block
of flats (as, a colleague once told me, in every English Department) there is at
least one mad person. Dealing with him or her is easier and cheaper if there are
150 units than if there are 15.</P>
<P>And while we are on the subject, a bit of sound advice is: never buy a
property with a flat roof. You need the law of gravity on your side when it
rains.</P>
<P>Jeremy H<BR></P>
<DIV class=moz-cite-prefix>On 15.07.2020 15:44, Mark Hussey via Vwoolf
wrote:<BR></DIV>
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<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
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roman",serif'>A
friend in London once explained to me what a “leasehold” meant—but I’ve
forgotten the details. It seems peculiar to the UK (or perhaps just England?),
where you “own” a flat in a building but you still have to pay some feudal
lord in (say) Cornwall) a nominal rent for the land on which the building in
which your flat is sits. Is that right? </SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Segoe UI
emoji",sans-serif'>😉</SPAN></P></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>
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