Maintenance Company for block of flats

donmega85

Hi everyone

I think this is the right place to post this topic...

Basically, I live in a block of flats (9 flats in total) - we pay a maintenance fee each year.

We received a letter at the end of April telling us that external redecoration must be completed urgently, but it requires £1000 from each flat to be paid promptly to allow the work to go ahead. Not ideal to suddenly get a bill like that out of the blue, but I paid it - as did the other owners of the rest of the flats.

All money was paid to the maintenance company by the end of May. It is now (obviously) nearing the end of September, and no work has been done. I've chased the management company, who 3 weeks ago said they would have an update within 7-10 days - still nothing from them.

I'm starting to get a little concerned. We don't have a residents association mainly because over 50% of the flats are buy to lets, and their owners live in other countries, and there's no way I can obtain their information. At the end of the day it's in their best interest to keep the property looking nice, but even the tenants don't deal with their LLs directly.

Does anyone know what would probably be the next step? At the end of the day they have had £1000 of mine for nearly 4 months and no work has been done.

Thanks in advance!

Don

PS. £1000 x 9 flats = a lot of money I know just for painting the woodwork on a mostly brick and upvc building, but that's another story...!

pinkshoes

You can use the land registry to contact the owner of the flat, as there should be an address for them if they don't live there.

I would look to setting up an owners association between those of you who do live there, and meet once a quarter to try and get things done in the block.

Freddie_Snowbits

Try the Housing bored here
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.php?f=16

donmega85

Thanks for the replies.

In the short term I'm just concerned about my £1000 - any advice on what I could do about that? I don't know if there is a governing body for management companies who I could escalate my concern to?

dmg24

Google Leasehold Advisory Service - they can advise further.

donmega85

dmg24 - spot on just what I was looking for. Thanks.:beer: