Service Charge Demand

clutton_2

scorpio princess - cattie says exactly the same thing as me in her first post - and yes i also am single and have lived on a small income myself - still do as it happens. Re leases - yes, i read anything i sign - thats the intelligent thing to do - if you have not read something, and then later don't like its contents, you have no one to blame but yourself. The OP must have known how much these service charges were before she bought the flat - if she could not afford them, why buy the property in the first place ?

If the leaseholder has sent this overdue account to a solicitor or debt collector their costs will be added onto the bill making it even larger. As i said, bite the bullet and pay up !

scorpio_princess

clutton wrote:

scorpio princess - cattie says exactly the same thing as me in her first post - and yes i also am single and have lived on a small income myself - still do as it happens. Re leases - yes, i read anything i sign - thats the intelligent thing to do - if you have not read something, and then later don't like its contents, you have no one to blame but yourself. The OP must have known how much these service charges were before she bought the flat - if she could not afford them, why buy the property in the first place ?

If the leaseholder has sent this overdue account to a solicitor or debt collector their costs will be added onto the bill making it even larger. As i said, bite the bullet and pay up !

Well if you can read a lease and make any sense of it, you must have some kind of legal knowledge (unless yours was written in plain English, which mine was not). Luckily I had a solicitor friend read it for me. My point is, some things are written in such a convoluted and confusing way, that it's no wonder some people find themselves in difficult situations - which in my opinion is why they do it. For example, take the terms and conditions (very, very small print) on just about anything you buy or sign up for these days - are you saying you read every word?? Not everyone has a mind for legal or financial jargon, and indeed have very little in the way of education (not saying that's the case with the OP, but you get my drift).

Like I said, the OP didn't say she was refusing to pay, just that she found the letters overly threatening, and I agreed with her having experienced this myself.

Also, you never know people's personal circumstances. What if you get ill or injured and lose wages because of it, and therefore struggle to pay the bills? Is it right that you get threatened with legal action with the possibility of your lease being rescinded just because you're 2 weeks late? Call me idealistic, but I think there should be more compassion and leeway, instead of just being treated like a number on a conveyor belt.
I work in the credit control department of my family business, and trust me, we're lucky to get paid on 60 days from other (much larger) companies, despite the fact our terms are 30 days. If I CCJ'd every customer that pays late i'd have to pitch a tent at the court!

silvercar

It is really down to your solicitor to advise you about your lease as part of the property purchase. The solicitor also ensures that the previous leaseholder is not in arrears and that you become the registered leaseholder. If you are having serious difficulties finding the money it may be worth approaching your mortgage lender. This will cost you more in the long run.

Keeping up with service charges is as important as mortgage payments, council tax and utility bills.

clutton_2

scorpio princess - i am not being unkind here, maybe a bit forthright perhaps, but, buying a house/flat is a very serious undertaking, and it amazes me the amount of folks who just "sign on the dotted line" without asking even the most basic questions - and who then find them selves in a financial mess due to their own lack of basic research and preparation.

We are all responsible for our own actions - if a solicitor sends you something to sign and you dont understand it, ask - that is what s/he is there for. In fact, many "legal docs" are nowhere near as complex to understand as you might think at first, once you sit down and read them thru quietly.

Robert_Sterling

The residents hold the freehold.
Who appoints the managing agent?
Clearly the managing agents costs increase if they have to send out reminders that payment is overdue.