HUDDERSFIELD'S ground rents row continues to grow - with more and more people complaining about £20 surcharges.
The firm at the centre of the controversy insists only a small number are affected, but the number of calls coming to the Examiner points to a different conclusion.
We've had scores of complaints after Estates and Management demanded extra cash on top of the annual bills which the rent collection firm said were overdue.
People told to pay the premium - many of them pensioners - said they had never received the initial invoice.
It seems clear something has gone wrong somewhere.
But bosses at the London- based property company today refused to order an automatic waiving of the charges, merely repeating their offer to look at each case individually.
One woman who has succeeded in having her £20 charge scrapped is Pamela Haigh, who lives in Primrose Hill. She won the promise after phoning the firm.
Mrs Haigh, whose yearly ground rent is £8.30, said: "It all depends how you talk to them.
"I used to work in an office and I train dogs so I know how to handle these things."
It's a different story for other people - with one caller to the Examiner saying even his solicitor could get no reply to letters he had sent to Estates and Management.
Mark Guy, the firm's arrears and ground rent manager, said: "A batch of ground rent invoices appear not to have reached their intended destination. We are currently investigating why this is the case.
"This problem is limited to a very small number of tenants in Huddersfield and, as previously stated, anyone who hasn't received an invoice should contact us."
