Flats: Yearly Service Charges?

BC2K3

Hi everyone,
I'm interested to know the sort of differences people pay for yearly 'service charges' for the maintenance of your apartment or flat.

I am the owner of a leasehold flat and have just recieved the service charges for 2007.
The charges are for things like communal electricity; cleaning comnunal areas, cutting the grass, general repairs, building insurance, management fees etc etc: and is £810 per flat.

But a few days later I recieved another service charge invoice, as apparently I need to contribute to the next delveopments running costs!?!? This is for an additional £280! :eek:
I've contacted the management agents to dispute this and am currently awaiting a response... :mad:

If correct, my annual service charges are almost £1100!!

Is that right? It seems an awful lot.

Thanks

olly300

Before I brought a flat I asked people what service charges they paid and discovered they varied from £400 to £2100 for a 2 bedroom flat. This is in London and the South East.

The more expensive charges i.e. over £1000 where in properties that where built in 1930's and had original features and/or in a flood risk area.

The cheaper charges where in flats that had the LA as the freeholder, were less than 20 years old or the leaseholders also had share of freehold and ran the management company.

Ms_Piggy_2

We pay £960 pcm on OH's flat. Plus ground rent. This andds an extra £100 pcm onto the mortgage and is a good illustrator of why I'd never by a flat!

Jem8472

well me and my GF exchange and complete tomorrow on a flat and the service charge is about £350 every 6 months.