Paying maintenance charge to HA but no maintenance has been done

Disgruntled1967

Hi all,
First post here, hope it is in the right place.

We have been renting through a local authority for over a year now and paying maintenance with the rent, which is supposed to be for shared areas such as flower beds by car parking spaces etc.

We have not had any maintenance done in that time, and have now been informed that the areas we were told it covered before we moved in are, in fact, not covered.

I have written repeatedly over the last 3 months to ask what is covered then, but no response, other than they are looking into it, and a letter informing us they have put the charge up!

I am now at the point of telling them I am going to adjust my payment to them and remove the maintenance charge of it as I do not see why we should pay for a service that we do not and have not ever got. I also think we should be getting a refund for the past year too.

However my husband is concerned that if I make too much of a fuss they will try and evict us, I don't see how they can as we are not in the wrong but have held off just in case.

Can anyone here advise of what we can do next, we have never rented through a HA before, and are on the affordable housing scheme to buy the house in a few years anyway. But don't want to continue paying for a service we are not getting.

Thanks in advance for any help/advice.

19lottie82

edit...... apologies I read the OP wrongly.

Jenniefour

What does it say on your rental agreement?

Disgruntled1967

Thanks for the reply lottie, the only maintenance that would be done would be a garden area by our car parking spaces and they have said that the maintenance charge does not cover it.

There are no other shared areas and we are responsible for our own gardens, fences etc, and we kept that area tidy ourselves as no-one else came to do it.

Hence why we are wondering what it is we are actually paying for or putting in to.

Disgruntled1967

Jennie, that it pays for garden maintenance and maintenance of shared areas.

Disgruntled1967

No worries Lottie!

19lottie82

Have you spoken to others in your building? Power in numbers and all of that

Disgruntled1967

Yep! Still nothing.

I think I will email tomorrow and give a deadline of when I want the info by, say next Friday and if nothing then advise that I will be taking it higher within the organisation. I think they are not telling us as there are 18 houses on the development, that would be a lot of refunds!!

Otherwise why not just tell us what it is for?

Bantex_2

Just give them your notice and move to a private rental.

Disgruntled1967

Been there and done that Bantex, we are going to be buying this house off of them so don't want to move, just want to sort out this issue.

The house is lovely and perfect for us, just don't like paying for a service I am not getting.

princeofpounds

However my husband is concerned that if I make too much of a fuss they will try and evict us, I don't see how they can as we are not in the wrong but have held off just in case.

He is right to be cautious until you have actually established your legal position.

Jennie, that it pays for garden maintenance and maintenance of shared areas.

This is not nearly a detailed enough explanation to be able to help you. What does it *specifically* say? Any and all sections that mention this charge.