Researching titles, deeds and charges on a Grade II listed property I don't own

[Gingernaut]

This new interest was prompted by The Crooked House scandal in Himley/Dudley

I pass a listed building every day on my way to work and it's deteriorating on a daily basis.

It neighbours my workplace and sits in an awkward spot, almost directly in front of the main entrance

Open to the elements, actively vandalised and poorly secured, we often make dark jokes that an 'accidental' fire is past due

It was a beautiful building and still retains a lot of the original features

It's heartbreaking to see it fall to pieces

I've finally found and downloaded the title register and found a discrepancy in the dates on the title and the Companies Register - apparently, the guy on the title, listed as director on the title resigned his directorship in January 2019, but was listed as the proprietor in June of the same year.

He is not a nice guy and another company associated with him was fined £50k for buggering up another listed building in a neighbouring town back in 2015

Like The Crooked House owners, he, his wife, his son and a series of associates have dozens of directorships between them, multiple properties, most of them listed or otherwise 'problematic' and near derelict.

If they have resigned their directorships, they often remain persons with significant control of the companies they've resigned from

The title states that 10 years after the title transferred in 1999, there was a charge made against the property in 2019

The charge has not been lifted and an attempt to sell the site was made last year, although the listing has been lost from the EA's website.

Apparently, it's possible to check further and see who owes what and to whom.

Has anyone done similar?

How successful were you?

The charge shown on the title should say who the lender is.

What about reporting it to the council listed buildings officer and letting the
deal with it instead? They’ve got the power to enforce repairs if necessary.

The local council are next to useless and have derelict historic properties across the borough.

My employer actually sold the building to the current proprietor

The title register simply says

03/06/2019 - REGISTERED CHARGE dated 25th April 2019

NOTE: This charge may be subject to the provisions of section 859H of the Companies Act 2006

You could ask for the premises to be put on SAVE Britain's Heritage building's at risk register. https://www.savebritainsheritage.org/buildings-at-risk/
Historic England also has a register.
https://historicengland.org.uk/advice/heritage-at-risk/search-register/
Being on the register can draw attention to a property and sometimes attract a new owner

You can also get in touch with SPAB (society for the protection on ancient buildings) and they often get involved in this kind of treatment of old buildings.

The entry relating to the charge means that whilst it's been registered at the land registry, it hasn't been registered against the company at Companies House. A charge entered into by a limited company has to be registered at Companies House within 21 days of completion and the charge registration certificate provided to Land Registry to show that this has been done. If it's not registered in time, you have to apply to court to register it. Depends who has given the charge - any mainstream lender would have instructed solicitors to deal with it. If there is a copy of the charge filed at Land Reg then you would be able to get a copy.

It's not listed under the Historic England site, although there's a whole page of results for the council

It is listed as one of the Victorian Society's Top Ten most endangered buildings ,with Griff Rhys Jones putting an a good word for it.

It's had no work done to it since 1999 at the very least and it's a crumbling eyesore.

OOOOOooooooohhhh

Worth a look...

OK

I've found the MR01 - Particualrs of Charge form, the proprietor is the lender - I know nothing, is this weird?

Insert details of sums to be paid (amount and dates) and so on.

9. Additional provisions

This charge secures the payment of the sums set out in an agreement of even date made between the lender (1) and the borrower (2) in relation to the Property

What's happened here, can anyone help?

There's no mention of the amount of money, nor is there any repayment plan.

From 2019, apart from a change in director, the accounts have been made up for a dormant company with assets of £1

Surely, if the company which owns this building is in debt, with no record of the debt being discharged, it's not dormant, it's insolvent.

Am I reading this right??

Are you talking about the Guardians Building outside Walsall Manor Hospital? I’ve been waiting for that to burn down for years :( it’s incredible inside but so incongruous with its surroundings now :(

The Black Country has a dire record of looking after our beautiful heritage.

😪😪😪

So much of Birmingham & the Black Country has literally gone up in smoke

Isn’t that the truth ☹️

Sold on Thursday for £236,000

No idea who, why or what's going to happen now.

Griff Rhys-Jones highlighted it in The Victorian Society's Top 10 Endangered Buildings List for 2023

Please come back and update us if they restore it.

If they knock it down, please don't!

Will do