Landlord Moving Gas Meter and Charging Me!!

GTG

grahamc2003 wrote: »

Just as an aside, I'm afraid leasehold is a licence to print money for the freeholder. My experience is freeholders can (and in my case did) do anything and everything and lump the bill on the leaseholder, plus their costs and their commisions for the work they instruct. We - the residents association - had legal advice and court cases going on over 12 years, and even then, our freeholder simply refused to assign the lease, without (illegal)fees of £4000 (this at a time of flat value of £70k), meaning the flats couldn't be sold. In civil cases, the law is an !!!, doing nothing extremely slowly and extremely costly.

Sorry for the rant - just to advise that however unfairly (or illegally) your freeholder treats you, don't expect to get redress through the civil courts. (We won various cases, but nothing changed, and just had to accept being ripped off a final time in order to sell, even if previously declared unlawful.).

Fortunately my landlord is a housing association who took over the housing stock from the local authority a few years ago so I don't expect the outrageous behaviour from them that you have had to endure.

bengasman

GTG wrote: »

Fortunately my landlord is a housing association who took over the housing stock from the local authority a few years ago so I don't expect the outrageous behaviour from them that you have had to endure.

I wouldn't wager too much on that if I were you. I have dealt with a number of housing associations over the years, and although there may be an exception that proves the rule, but on the whole I have found their incompetence mind boggling, with astronomical corrective costs as a result.

Danfuss

I would advise the OP to look at the LEASE-advice.org website for further information on the freeholder’s obligations to consult when repair/maintenance work is required which is likely to cost individual leaseholder’s more than a specific amount – from memory about £250.00 p.a. If the freeholder fails to consult then the amount that can be recharged is capped at £100 per leaseholder p.a.
The freeholder can apply to have the requirement to consult dispensed with via the LVT – for example where the work in question has to be done in an emergency. The work proposed may not meet this criterion?
In any case there is nothing in the OP’s post to suggest that the dispensation has been applied for and granted by the LVT. On this basis, no consultation + no dispensation = capped recovery of charges from leaseholders.

GTG

bengasman wrote: »

I wouldn't wager too much on that if I were you. I have dealt with a number of housing associations over the years, and although there may be an exception that proves the rule, but on the whole I have found their incompetence mind boggling, with astronomical corrective costs as a result.

Yes, I have already experienced incompetance from them and the previous landlords the LA, however incompetance is easier to deal with than deliberate extortion. Sometimes this can work in ones favour, see Danfuss's comment above. But yes it is a cause for concern, anything they do incorrectly will be rectified at their own expense.

GTG

Danfuss wrote: »

I would advise the OP to look at the LEASE-advice.org website for further information on the freeholder’s obligations to consult when repair/maintenance work is required which is likely to cost individual leaseholder’s more than a specific amount – from memory about £250.00 p.a. If the freeholder fails to consult then the amount that can be recharged is capped at £100 per leaseholder p.a.
The freeholder can apply to have the requirement to consult dispensed with via the LVT – for example where the work in question has to be done in an emergency. The work proposed may not meet this criterion?
In any case there is nothing in the OP’s post to suggest that the dispensation has been applied for and granted by the LVT. On this basis, no consultation + no dispensation = capped recovery of charges from leaseholders.

Thanks Danfuss for the very helpful comment and suggestion.

It is not an emergency as the landlords' letter states that each tenant will be visited to explain what will happen once a detailed programme of work and accurate date for commencement is in place. There is more of an authoritarian rather than a consultative tone to the letter though.

C_Mababejive

I would challenge the fire risk assessment.

This sounds like total rubbish. Millions of homes have internal gas meters.

Whether the meter is inside or not is of no relevance.

Are they also going to move all the electric meters outside just in case one self combusts?

Richie-from-the-Boro

Having re-read all the threads it seems to be the case that GTG's Housing Association have done everything by the book, the two issues of (1) lease and (2) whether the Major Works costs are (2A) required and (2B) reasonable.

For the lease, ask to see yours, they will be happy to show it to you, talk you through anything you don't understand and give you a copy if you've lost yours. You will have a named individual within the HA who will have responsibility for each of the 8 different housing stocks.

For the question on the issue of whether the works are required in the first place, take that up with your Housing Officer while you are there and ask if they will explain why the group felt the Major Works was required in the first place.

Most of these answers could be had with a phone call from you, and a follow up meeting between yourself and the HA. BTW consideration on :

- how many levels / floors in your multi occupancy building
- how old / what material are the risers / sleeves and do they need renewing
- age etc, might answer a few questions.

Zandoni

Ofgem the regulator may be able to give advice http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Pages/OfgemHome.aspx

bengasman

Richie-from-the-Boro wrote: »

....For the question on the issue of whether the works are required in the first place, take that up with your Housing Officer while you are there and ask if they will explain why the group felt the Major Works was required in the first place.....

Housing officers in general talk out of the orifice that was originally designed for another purpose; I wouldn't believe them if they said rain was wet. You've got as much chance they will help you avoid paying up as a traffic warden will help you avoid getting a ticket.

SYNERGY

Richie-from-the-Boro wrote: »

Having re-read all the threads it seems to be the case that GTG's Housing Association have done everything by the book, the two issues of (1) lease and (2) whether the Major Works costs are (2A) required and (2B) reasonable.

For the lease, ask to see yours, they will be happy to show it to you, talk you through anything you don't understand and give you a copy if you've lost yours. You will have a named individual within the HA who will have responsibility for each of the 8 different housing stocks.

For the question on the issue of whether the works are required in the first place, take that up with your Housing Officer while you are there and ask if they will explain why the group felt the Major Works was required in the first place.

Most of these answers could be had with a phone call from you, and a follow up meeting between yourself and the HA. BTW consideration on :

- how many levels / floors in your multi occupancy building
- how old / what material are the risers / sleeves and do they need renewing
- age etc, might answer a few questions.

I would hazard a guess that a fire risk assessment has been carried out, always a good thing, in what is apparently a small ( 15 flats ) multi occupancy property.

If the stairway should be a protected stairway, or the hall etc at the base of the stairs should be a protected escape route, (which according the OP appears to be the case) neither will comply with 15 gas meters in a cupboard under the stairs, in the middle of the hall, also I doubt, owing to the position that the multiple meter cupboard may not be sealed to the inside of the property and vented externally.

Many weren't on older properties.

One other aspect is that if the local ' gas board ' are renewing the mains, they won't, in most instances restore to internal multiple meter cupboards as described, they usually use external risers then fit an external meter per flat.

Either way, if the works are to comply with a fire risk assessment, there won't anything the OP can do to change things.

It may be worth the OP attempting to get all the occupants as a group to complain about the cost and possibly try to negotiate a group price.

Nothing to be lost by trying.