Banpyne Ltd

EDM number 2221 in 1992-93, proposed by Jeff Rooker on 28/06/1993.

That this House is concerned at the business practices of Banpyne Ltd. and its director Mr R. H. Hemsley-Faulconbridge in respect of the sale of freeholds to owner occupiers in the north Birmingham area which appear to amount to blackmail; understands that after long negotiations, when a sale price is agreed, Banpyne Ltd. delay finalising until the owner occupier wishes to sell the property and then at the last minute makes demands for extra sums up to ú2,000, and that in one recent case after this had been reluctantly agreed to, Mr Hemsley-Faulconbridge indicated he required a further ú600 so causing the sale to fall to the distress of all concerned; notes that Mr Hemsley-Faulconbridge is a consultant solicitor to the firm of Herbert Wilkes of Church Street Birmingham which acts for Banpyne Ltd.; believes that the practices employed by and behalf of Banpyne Ltd. which also include trespass upon properties by Mr Hemsley-Faulconbridge so that he can count sheds and garages which he uses as an excuse to claim the leaseholders have no rights to purchase the freehold are quite outrageous; and therefore calls upon the Law Society to inquire into the professional status of Mr Hemsley-Faulconbridge and Herbert Wilkes, the Office of Fair Trading to inquire into Banpyne Ltd. and the Department of the Environment to bring forward reform to the Leasehold Reform Acts to reinforce rights of leaseholders against such dishonourable landlords and their advisors.

This motion has been signed by a total of 31 MPs.