Worse Than Taking Candy From a Baby?
By admin | April 3rd, 2010 | Category: Past Articles | 2 commentsOn Friday we received an e-mail from a TTAS visitor who lives in a property managed by Solitaire Property Management, in addition to their mother who also owned a Peverel Retirement property.
In January of this year, the visitor’s mother died and her Peverel Property and posessions are currently being handled by their solicitor in probate.
In March, the Solicitor put the property on the market, only for Peverel to write and inform the family (not the solicitor) – that ‘apparently’ contractually, Peverel have / had an ‘exclusive 10-day period’ to market the property, prior to any other agents.
Due to the Solicitor having already actioned an estate agent to market the property, Peverel are now demanding that the family pay Peverel fee’s for breach of this ‘contract’.
Most of us will have lost a close member of our family and know what a traumatic time it can be. You don’t think straight and rely on others to help you do the most basic of things and when you receive a letter like the above, it causes even more stress.
The visitor’s mother ‘may’ have signed a contract agreeing to the property being advertised exclusively for 10-days prior to other agents, but if regular homeowners find it difficult to understand the Peverel contracts / leases, how many elderly retirement homeowners are going to understand contractual matters?
Peverel’s Retirement home website says that they provide a professional and caring service, but the above story is in our eyes demonstrates how they appear to ‘bully’ homeowners and show no compassion towards the homeowners family and that they put pound signs before the feelings of their customers.
In addition to this, we believe that they should have made this approach to the Solicitor and not the family directly, afterall, it was the Solicitors responsibility to market the property and should be liable for any fees, as they have clearly not read the contract / lease (assuming they were in receipt of the original lease / contract, signed by the homeowner?)
If anyone else has been in a similar position, we’d love to hear from you so that we can send the family that e-mailed us your advice on this matter.
I bought my McCarthy and Stone flat in 2006. In the purchasers inf pack they mention the total 2% (1%for contingency fund)payable on resale, subject of previous complaints, but nothing that Peverel gets first refusal, to quote” McCarthy and Stone make no stipulation as to when or how or for how much you can resell your home..” then the age stipulation and the 2%. Hope that may help you.
I have to admit that nothing, literally nothing surprises me when it comes to Solitaire and OM/Peverel – but this really is the lowest of the low