‘We’re trapped’: developer’s unpaid debt leaves London flat owners unable to sell

Hackney leaseholders feel council made the problem worse by leaving £850,000 debt uncollected for eight years

Leaseholders in east London have said they are “trapped in unsellable homes” because of an £850,000 debt owed by the building’s developer to Hackney council, who have let it go unpaid for eight years.

The 17 leaseholders, who live in a block of flats in Upper Clapton, have appealed to the council for help but their pleas, including requests for a meeting, have been ignored.