A man who is trying to sell his flat has hit an unusual obstacle.

He does not own it.

Chris Meyer, 35, owns the one next door to the flat where he has lived for the last six years.

Meyer has been living at 8 Willow Court, Carlisle. But a mix-up with Land Registry documents means he actually owns 9 Willow Court. The person who thought they were the owner of 7 Willow Court in fact owns Meyer’s.

In total ten of the 15 flat owners in the building face the same problem.

The numbers listed on Land Registry documents do not match up with the ownerships.

Meyer has been trying to solve the problem for three years, when he first put the flat on the market.

He had an offer which he accepted, and was ready to move to a new property, when the solicitor acting for his buyer realised there was a problem.

The Land Registry has said it can sort out the problem, but needs every owner’s approval. However, some of flats are rented and the owners have not responded to letters.

Burnetts, the Carlisle law firm that originally dealt with the purchase, have told local papers that it was Meyer’s responsibility to check the title report.

So what do conveyancers think? And what of the estate agent trying to get this kind of deal through?

Interestingly, the Willow Court block appears to have been built in 2004, suggesting that it is not the first owners who had a problem, but those they sold on to.

See our next story by Rob Hailstone.