Rick Astley ‘could be dragged to court as he becomes embroiled in leasehold row over £800,000 apartment in west London’
Rick Astley has reportedly been embroiled in a row with the owner of an £800,000 apartment in west London.
The singer, 54, could allegedly be dragged into court after an offer by the owner of a flat to extend her lease fell through.
According to The Sun, Rick, who owns the freehold to the property, turned down an offer from the owner to extend the lease, and the case has now been taken to Central London County Court.
House drama: Rick Astley, 54, has reportedly been embroiled in a row with the owner of an £800,000 apartment in west London (pictured in November 2019)
It’s thought that Cornelia Rang, offered Rick £24,000 to increase her 79-year lease by 90 years.
But the singer’s lawyers dismissed the offer, allegedly saying it was ‘so unrealistically low that it may be inferred that it was not a bona fide, or genuine, or realistic offer.’
Judge Simon Freeland allegedly then turned down Rang’s request to strike out Rick’s defence and the case was adjourned until a later date.
MailOnline has contacted representatives for Rick Astley for comment.
At odds: The singer could allegedly be dragged into court after an offer by the owner of a flat to extend her lease fell through when it was branded ‘unrealistically low’
A property sold as leasehold means the buyer only has ownership of the house, not the land, meaning the freeholder retains the lease and can charge the buyer ground rent.
The buyer must also ask permission to make any changes to the property, with the freehold also able to be sold to a third party to increase profit.
In recent years leasehold properties have proven controversial as homes become almost unsellable because some lenders won’t grant mortgages against properties with excessive ground rent clauses.
The Government is establishing a Commonhold Council– to prepare for a wholesale switch to commonhold ownership, meaning flat owners can own the freehold of their individual apartments.
Singer Rick is though to have a net worth of around £12 million after making savvy investments since rising to fame in the 1980s.
The hitmaker topped the charts with his single Never Gonna Give You Up in 1988, but took a break from music in the 1990s to focus on family life.
He then saw a huge return in popularity following the internet called Rickrolling, which saw users tricked into watching the video for his single with fake links.
Since then Rick has continue to record new music, and his last album The Best of Me came out in 2019.
Big money: Singer Rick is though to have a net worth of around £12 million after making savvy investments since rising to fame in the 1980s