Centralised CH/HW system in block of flats (OM Peverel)

NormanErnest

Dear all - some advice if possible please.

A 6-month charge of total £2500 (Feb-Aug 1012), is show in the OM Peveral accounts for gas and hot water, in a block of 8 flats with a centralised boiler 'plant' room. There is no breakdown per flat given.

1. How do I work out a fair charge for my tenant? The closest I came was by dividing the total sqr footage with the flat's sqr footage to work out the sqr footage price, but the charge seems very high for single occupancy at about £80/month (including water).

2. The service contract for the boiler charge is billed separately. However, no service contract was put in place (since 3 yrs), which was discovered when my HW/CH failed for 6 weeks (yes, six weeks...long story). I am addressing this with OM directly, but I'd like anyone's advice on how to handle it and other H&S or contractual issues I may not have thought of. E.g. have they broken any H&S re. gas provision, or, do I have the right to see a service contract?

3. There is no incentive for sensible CH/HW usage in the flats, when each individual's cannot be accurately measured.

I have contacted fellow owners and tenants too.

I should have been more pushy to ask questions on purchase, but you live and learn. It is otherwise been a great buy.

Any comments/advice appreciated.

Rgds, NormanErnest

Wywth

Charge young Miss Stevens £50 cuz she is so cute

Charge that Mr Jones £700 cuz he can afford it

Charge old Mrs Holly £1000 cuz she is a miserable old bat

... and charge the remaining tenants £150 a piece.

Sorted :cool:

NormanErnest

An interesting approach, and one I'll use if all else fails. Tks.

Pincher

By flat size, i.e. square foot, or square metre.

We had OM Peverel, now OM, too.

The developer apppointed OM Peverel, and they colluded so by the time the three year warranty period was over, we had no come back on Berkeley Homes. Only one boiler out of three worked on handover, but they were behind lock and key, so nobody knew.

Berkeley actually fitted hot water usage meters per flat, but they had different types of meters, and nobody could be bothered to sort it all out. For the first ten years, they just estimated usage by flat size, which is not that fair, because some flats had tall ceilings. One room was quadruple height!

Now that the leaseholders revolted, and we are a Republic again, leaving the evil OM empire behind us, it's still not much better. The management company gets a fixed price contract, make us pay in advance, then do one or more "adjustments" A YEAR LATER. I just make an estimate based on previous years,
and get the tenants to pay a fixed amount, for unlimited usage.

NormanErnest

Dear Pincher- Thanks, all sounds very similar. The plumbing company who installed it says thie piece of kit has the power to heat a small school or wing of a hospital! I think some clever admin person in construction applied for some 'Green' EU/Govt grant ..... I will not meddle, a just charge the best fair price to my tenant that I can. Your input appreciated. Thanks.