The Right To Buy Our Council Flat Has been a nightmare

Petrena

Some years ago we were in the position, that we were having problems ever getting any repairs done within our home. The flat was cold, damp and the windows did feel sorry for themselves. Now when the right to buy scheme came in, we we bought our home from our local council, however the local council in Bury. They decided to hand over the management of the council houses and to Six Town Housing. We live in a block of self contained maisonette flats.

Now for years we were totally ignored as far as repairs went, we were told just to get on with doing the repairs as we had bought our home. Which we did do, infact we couldn't get a mortagage without having central heating and windows put in. So we went ahead. We have really taken good care for our property to the best of our ability and what our budget would allow.

Now about 4 years ago, Six Town Housing came along, and they were what is called an Almo, the problem is, that you go backwards and forwards between Bury Council, and Six Town Housing if you have a problem. Now we didn't have many dealings with Six Town Housing up until 3 years ago, when they started making themselves known to us. First all they started having meetings with leaseholders, however they never told everyone, that within those meetings, our future was being discussed and they produced a handbook which had rights and responsibilites which were discussed at these meetings.

Over the years Bury Council ignored us, and we had done our improvements, so there was no service charge, as we were not getting any services. Now at the time of buying the property, we were told that we had to pay if we had painting done outside, and if the roof needed sorting we would have to pay a quarter of the cost, which is fair, However the rest of the repairs were down to us.

All of a sudden, Six Town Housing have introduced service charges and they insist they are incharge of the structure of the building, including windows and doors, even though we don't get anything from them other than junk mail. Now the problem is that Six Town Housing are changing our lease and enforcing rules that were not applied before, they are getting around it by just giving us a little notice. Now if anyone has any repairs to the building, whether you get the benefit or not, we all have to pay a quarter of the cost.

The annoying thing is that we have spent £3000 on my windows and doors, we did the pointing, and we generally maintained our flat to the best of our ability which has cost us thousands of pounds, as well as our mortagage, not only that we are not allowed to have a choice of buildings insurer, we have to have the one that Six Town Housing decree.

Now Six Town Housing inform me, that windows and doors are their responsibility, and that should our windows not be up to their standard, they could come along and rip my windows and doors out, then to add insult to injury, we would have to pay, as we didn't get permission when we asked everyone concerned in the beginning about the doors and windows.

Now I have already paid full cost of my windows, yet if someone else has to have a window or door, or if they have to have their shed roof mended, I have to pay a quarter of that cost which I feel is unfair. Since we have had to do our repairs ourselves through the neglect of Bury Council.

We were also told in the beginning that the inside of the property is our responsibility and that we should maintain it, of which we are trying to do and that Six Town Housing was responsible for the outside.

Now to top it all, they have also introduced another little rule, which to me is adding insult to injury, and that is if we need to put so much as a cupboard up in our home, we have to ask them permission and for us to get the permission we are charged £25. So now they are sneaking inside of the property telling us what to do.

Now if it is that I should of only paid a quarter of the cost of my windows, but in reality I paid full cost, then surely to me I shouldn't have to pay for someone elses, however the quarter rule is kicking in.

To me this is totally unfair, we are just being priced out of our home with Six Town Housing's demands. The expect us to put a savings fund up incase they decide to do major repairs in 5yrs time. Which is fine in a perfect world, we would all do that, however other bills are a priority.

Now the latest communication, I have had, is that one of the Six Town Housing's officials, says that we haven't bought our home, we have only bought the right to live there. However we had that right before being a secure tennant. So for us the right to buy never existed.

So the reality is that we will never own our own home, and the right to buy was to us a big scam, the council have got all the repairs done for the house, because they ignored us, and now we will have to pay again for repairs, if Six Town Housing want us to.

When you buy your home, you do expect to pay for repairs, however, you try to budget the best you can, and do the repairs when you can afford them, but now we are in constant worry of what is going to be done and at what cost. Not only that, we don't get the choice of what is done, it is decreed by Six Town Housing of what they want done.

The big problem is they know that we cannot afford a solicitor because I am disabled and my partner is only on a basic wage. So we are stuck with the fact we have to be worried about what plans Six Town Town housing has in store for us.

sooz

I'd say need to see a solicitor.

You need a professional to look over your lease & contract, & see what you have bought, & what your rights & obligations are.

Your post is long, but a couple of points leap out...

(but I'm not entirely sure what a maisonette flat is - are there other flats attached to yours in any way? Do you share walls, a roof etc? Are there flats below or above you?)

You have bought your the lease of your flat from the council, under right to buy. You have not bought the flat, but its lease. Most flats have leases. This means that you have bought the right to own your flat for the duration of the lease (how many years?) and that you have the right to sell this lease. If it was a house, you would have bought the house, but flats don't work like that. the lease does run down on flats, but as a leaseholder, you will have a right to extend this (at a further cost). If the lease gets below 80 years, it will cost you more though.

Have a look at LEASE for more advice. www.lease-advice.org


If you are in a flat, you need to buy buildings insurance as a whole building. Normally the managing agent buys it, & bills each flat for their share.

Any external maintenance is done by the MA for the benefit of all flats, & shared out.

Externally, the flats should not be changed without permission. Did you get any permission, in writing, to change your windows & doors?

If you have bought the lease to your flat, from the council, the new MA cannot change your lease. You need to read it carefully to see what they can, & what they can't charge you for. If the £25 permission to alter anything inside is in your lease, then you have to pay this. If this is not written in your current lease, then they cannot enforce it.

sooz

can this be merged with the other identical thread?