Hackney leaseholders feel council made the problem worse by leaving £850,000 debt uncollected for eight years
L
easeholders in east London have said they are “trapped in unsellable homes” because of an £850,000 debt owed by the building’s developer to Hackney council, who have let it go unpaid for eight years.
The 17 leaseholders, who live in a block of flats in Upper Clapton, have appealed to the council for help but their pleas, including requests for a meeting, have been ignored.
Rich Bell, 38, is one of the owners. He was expecting to move out of his one-bedroom flat last year, having outgrown it after having his first child. He was in a “pretty advanced stage” of the selling process but was halted when the solicitors encountered an issue.
