Featured Image Credit: SWNS
Topics: Home, UK News, King Charles III, Property, Royal Family
Anish Vij
A man says he's 'getting really angry' at being unable to fix the hole in his roof because King Charles owns the building.
For the past six months, Peter Batt, 59, has been trying to sort out the leaking hole in his apartment roof that's currently being rented out to a friend.
Peter purchased the flat in Priory Courtyard, Ramsgate, in June 2019 and moved out in January 2024.
That's when he decided to rent out the space to a friend and her daughter who noticed the roofing issue in February 2024 when they moved in.
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During renovation, the new tenant spotted water leaking into the second bedroom and bathroom.
The home owner, a journalist from Ludlow, Shropshire, along with other leaseholders, say they have been struggling to overcome the problem.
"The original developer set up a company to aid the build and sale of the units, then dissolved it as is standard," Peter explained.
"Due to some oversight or balls-up, the freehold did not transfer over to the residents’ management company.
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"Because the [developer’s] company had been dissolved, and the title wasn't transferred, the land then officially became ownerless.
"This means that the residents' company can’t secure a loan to repair the work."
With no owner in place, the building has been owned by King Charles' Crown Estate since 22 November, 2017.
The way it works is that the building was automatically transferred to the Crown as part of a process called escheat.
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This is when ownerless land is passed to the sovereign as 'lord paramount of all the land in the realm'.
Though the Crown are unable to implement 'act of management, possession or ownership' - which means they can't fix the leaky roof.
Non-profit firm RMC at Priory Courtyard is now taking steps to obtain the freehold to the building.
However, even with permission to fix the roof, it seems surveyors have determined that it will cost around £74,000 (roughly $97,841).
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Peter said: "This has been a nightmare.
“For a couple of months at the beginning, I'd spend hours a day emailing people and trying to push them to see what the latest situation is and what their latest strategy was.
“I got as far as I could with that and then the only way you can deal with it is just to pretend it's not there.
"But it's always there in the background, and in the last month it has started waking me up in the morning.
“I find myself getting really angry.
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“In all of this, I just felt terrible for my tenant and her daughter.
“They are living with friends and love this flat, so want to wait to move in.”
The Crown Estate declined to comment when contacted by LADbible.