Larder Fees

moonstone gsp

Well-Known Member
I have had access to a larder for the last 2 years connected to the estate on the ground we stalk. A new 'estate manager' has ben appointed and he has now decided that on top of what we pay for the on site accomadation we must pay a larder fee and a cost for the garaging of the ATV. We leave the ATV on site in an old garage, nothing fancy. he wants to charge £120-00 per month for the use of the garage. The estate has numerous out buildings so I would not have thought space is an issue.

The proposed cost for larder is £25 per 'small' deer ( I assume he means roe) and £50-00 per red. We only stay 3 days per month and the larder is old school, just a light and lifting rail, cold running water, nothing modern or fancy. No chiller unit or fridge. We always ensure that the place is washed down and bleach the floor and surfaces.

Is anyone else paying fees for storing ATVs or know about fees being charged for hanging deer and if so what is the going rate?

Thanks
 
Seems extortionate - a roe isn’t worth that.

We pay £5 for a roe and £10 for a bigger deer which I think is reasonable for both sides.
 
Sounds like he wants to push you out with those charges. Imo the charges aren't reasonable so would try and sort out an alternative. You could probably have the deer butchered for not much more if you have a someone nearby that will do that for you. I could get roe butchered for £25 - £30. Then possibly sell the meat on butchered.
 
Thanks for the replies. His motive is clearly to get us off site, although we still hold the stalking lease for a further 12 months. I am going to see if we can work something out ( not holding much hope). I just wanted to put it out there to see if larder and garaging fees are the norm, and if so what are people paying.

As usual new person with big ideas. He has turned the bosses head with big ideas, I doubt that he will be there long once he realises the costs / work involved in running this his way.

He is talking about taking out guests ( not sure where as we have the leases) and 'bringing in' the reds as that is what paying stalkers want!!!

The accomadation has now gone as we have been given a months notice, we pay slightly less than the going rate but he has big ideas that he can get a better deal if he AirBnBs it.

He also needs to get his FAC as he only has a SGC at present.
 
Someone's trying to milk every pound they can find aren't they, unless something more sinister is afoot.
 
£120 per month for the garaging...... Is he going to install power and light, security/CCTV ?? What a joke.....
Might be worth firing a formal note to the owner of the estate explaining that the proposed costs are too much and see if there is haggle room, but it does look suspiciously like they have got other plans for the deer management and the culling. Has there been another approach from someone with deeper pockets I wonder?
If there is no obvious resolution, sadly, I think you may have to either pay more or start looking for another ground to shoot on....
 
Everything on site is very basic except the cottage accomadation. But it works for us when we go up once a month.

We are going to see if we can get the ear of the owner, he maybe is not aware of what is going on.
Anyone with a decent business head would look to get an amicable agreement..... win/win scenario. Or at least get as much as possible until they got their ducks in a row.

Unfortunately we are dealing with a young person with little experience or business brain. He has no experience of running an estate that we know of, he has farming experience ( hands on) and I think he has run a bird syndicate in the Midlands. If he stood back and thought about things he could have benifitted in the short term from our experience and eased us out a little more subtly and probably maintained a revenue stream during the process. Instead he has dived in feet first ( only held the job for 2 months) and set out the new fees without any dialogue.

I think the 'power' of the position may have gone to his head a little bit!

Me and my stalking buddy have been around the block a few times and both run medium sized companies and a 30 person syndicate in the past so we just shrug our shoulders and see if we are able to negotiate a workable solution. I dont however hold much hope, as alraedy been expressed the motive is to remove us from the scene. These things are to be expected in this game so we need a plan B.
 
Does the lease mention use of the garage and "larder"? I would suggest the time for negotiation of new terms is nearer the end of your current lease.
 
Does the lease mention use of the garage and "larder"? I would suggest the time for negotiation of new terms is nearer the end of your current lease.
Nothing on the lease or the agreement for the accomadation it was just a gentlemans arrangement with the previous manager who didnt want to complicate the matter and it suited us both. It was something that we knew wasnt binding.
 
Nothing on the lease or the agreement for the accomadation it was just a gentlemans arrangement with the previous manager who didnt want to complicate the matter and it suited us both. It was something that we knew wasnt binding.

I'm no legal expert, I would check if verbal agreements made during a lease can be changed to your detriment.
 
I have had access to a larder for the last 2 years connected to the estate on the ground we stalk. A new 'estate manager' has ben appointed and he has now decided that on top of what we pay for the on site accomadation we must pay a larder fee and a cost for the garaging of the ATV. We leave the ATV on site in an old garage, nothing fancy. he wants to charge £120-00 per month for the use of the garage. The estate has numerous out buildings so I would not have thought space is an issue.

The proposed cost for larder is £25 per 'small' deer ( I assume he means roe) and £50-00 per red. We only stay 3 days per month and the larder is old school, just a light and lifting rail, cold running water, nothing modern or fancy. No chiller unit or fridge. We always ensure that the place is washed down and bleach the floor and surfaces.

Is anyone else paying fees for storing ATVs or know about fees being charged for hanging deer and if so what is the going rate?

Thanks
Ask him if the theft of your ATV from the Estate ‘compound’ is covered by the Owner’s insurance. Also check how your insurance aligns with the estate’s security arrangements for such insured equipment.

K
 
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