LAndlord / freehold

[Suetheramble]

I manage a small management company. Some of the owners of the flats have purchased the freehold. My problem is that I have one resident who requires the permission of the landlord to have a water meter fitted (the flat is owner occupied). I told the owner to go to the freeholder but the freeholders solicitor has written back to say they are the freeholders not the Landlord and the management company should deal with this. Is there a site on the web that states the freeholders are the landlords? This solicitor is a family solictor and therefore I fear not to knowledgeable on the subject - I would like to show him evidence that freeholder and landlord of the building are same.

[maclarencat]

It is unusual to hold a freehold on a flat but if the owner occupier does do then they do not have a landlord. If however they are leasehold then the freeholder would be the Landlord.

[Vagrant]

Does it matter?
Just give the resident a letter stating that you would have no objection to them having a water meter.

[Suetheramble]

Vagrant - If I don't have the authority and a meter is installed and it is in breach of the lease it may leave me in an embarrassing position.

[cassa333]

I could have sworn I had replied to this thread...

Maybe I am going mad.

[Angela_Macready]

A freeholder leases the entire property to 'A'. 'A' then leases out each individual property on separate leases (underleases). 'A' is then the landlord to those he has underleased the property to, not the freeholder.

The easy answer is to check the lease of the person who is asking (ask them to send this to you if you don't have a copy). Who is detailed as the landlord in the lease? Is there anything in the lease that states that another company becomes the landlord after so long (some leases let the management company take over after all of the units have been sold because developers don't want to be involved anymore)?