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MITRE HOUSE MANAGEMENT LIMITED (REPRESENTING THE NINE LEASEHOLD OWNERS OF MITRE HOUSE)
REF APPLICATION (BY MRS MICHELE HILLGARTH) TO APPOINT A MANAGER: REF LON/00AW/LAM/2017/0011
SUITE 7 MITRE HOUSE • 124 KINGS ROAD • CHELSEA • LONDON SW3 4TP EMAIL: MANAGEMENT@MITREHOUSE.COM • WWW.MITREHOUSE.COM TELEPHONE +44 (0)20 7589 7502 OR MBL +44 (0)798 33 33 543
SYNOPSIS
Mitre House, 124 Kings Road, London SW3 4TP is a small Edwardian c1917 red brick building, with lovely art deco features, with an old but functioning and well maintained lift, having 9 one bedroom purpose built units over three floors above a parade of four smart(ish) retail shops on the ground floor.
In July 2011, the Head Lease of this small block of 9 flats above commercial elements was purchased by four lessees, having invited all 9 lessees to subscribe. A limited company was formed, Mitre House Management Limited with the four subscribing lessees as Directors, one of which being the present applicant to this Application To Appoint A Manager, Mrs Michele Hillgarth - a property owning, wealthy and well connected French lady.
This same applicant lessee (Mrs Michele Hillgarth) made an application for an RTM in 2013 despite remaining as a Director of Mitre House Mngt Ltd. It was eventually withdrawn due to the 25% footprint of commercial etc but not after a lengthy 6 month battle and despite Mrs Hillgarth having advised all 9 lessees some 3 years earlier that purchase of the freehold was not possible due to the 25% ruling. Apparently her Solicitors at the time did not also advise her or she had misled them. Our Freeholders, Royal London, contested her application as of course did we.
Due to what her three fellow directors considered a disloyal and disruptive attitude she was requested to resign as a director of Mitre House Mngt Ltd which she did, somewhat obligingly, on 18 September 2014. I though, was worried.
Mrs Hillgarth and myself have lived at Mitre House for over 45 years (1969) and up until Mrs Hillgarth vacated and then sub-let her property in 1984 our relationship was neighbourly. But subsequently it became somewhat strained due to various sub-let tenant concerns and a reluctance on her part to participate in our small but friendly and quite efficient Residents’ Association (not a fully fledged recognised one but a good working one incorporating most all live- in residents who were all both friends and neighbours as indeed most are still to this day but now heavily outnum- bered by sub-letting lessees as opposed to live in residents). Mrs Hillgarth stubbornly refused to participate.
Mrs Hillgarth considered any comment, request or instruction from any source, ourselves or our Managing Agents at the time and subsequently to date, to be both intrusive and unwelcome as is well documented in correspondence to hand. She also refused to abide by her lease covenants which included requesting permission prior to sub-letting, to fully carpet her flooring prior to sub-letting and to not permit animals in situ. To date, she still refuses to and we are aware that she is signing off Tenancy Agreements stating all permissions have been sourced and received
The incorporation of our Limited company to facilitate the purchase of our Head Lease in July 2011 for £4500 was fraught due to Mrs Hillgarth’s contrariness, absence and lack of consideration for the work involved and most regret- tably this same attitude and contrariness has continued non stop since Mitre House Mngt Limited took the reins on 1st January 2012 and commenced managing the 9 flats and communal areas.
Matters with relevance to her recent application to appoint a manager:
Quarterly Service Charge & Reserves Demands were substantially reduced for 2012 from what we were paying our previous Agents, both Haywards and Kinleighs previously, yet resulted in small but useful surpluses due back to lessees for years ending 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2016. 2014 was a deficit but extenuating circumstances.
MAINTAINING MITRE HOUSE
DIRECTORS • PAUL BROWN-CONSTABLE • DIMA INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
REG. OFFICE • 9 ACTON HILL MEWS • UXBRIDGE ROAD • LONDON W3 9QN • REGISTERED NO. 7731341 • ENGLAND
A MEMBER OF THE PROPERTY REDRESS SCHEME (GOVERNMENT APPROVED 1 OCTOBER 2014)