Doveton House, 53 Long Street, Williton
- The building
- A converted building of four flats with communal areas, garden, driveway and rear car park, which the tribunal established was self-contained from an Index Map search and photographs.
- What was applied for
- An order under section 85(2) of the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002, the route used where the landlord cannot be found.
- The figures
- Four flats, two of the four leaseholders being members, which met the statutory minimum of not less than half. London Gazette advertisement 1 October 2025. Acquisition date 1 November 2026.
What Happened
The freeholder was said to have stopped managing in the late 1980s or early 1990s and could not be traced. Mid-case one flat was sold and another leaseholder died, so the tribunal had to be satisfied about service on the personal representatives.
What the Tribunal Held
Order granted. The decisive question the tribunal set itself was whether sufficient steps had been taken to trace the landlord. It accepted a Land Registry search, a search of the leases and historic documents, local enquiries over twenty years, a Companies House search, a probate search covering 1980 to 2025, enquiries for any solicitor or agent the freeholder had used, a professional tracing agent's report, and an advertisement in the London Gazette. Two defects were forgiven: no leases were available for two flats, and a participation notice was misaddressed.
What it means for a block here. The missing-landlord route works, but you must evidence a documented tracing trail. Land Registry, Companies House, probate, a professional tracer and a Gazette advertisement, not an assertion that the landlord has vanished.