Buying a flat - poor maintenance by landlord

piggeh

I am in the process of buying a flat. I really like the flat and location, so I should be quite excited. However the one concern I do have is the lack of adequate maintenance by the landlord/managing agent. There are some bits like unsafe electrical switches in common areas, and some of the wooden frames have not been painted in a while and likely starting to rot (they're high up so difficult to inspect).

The flats (14 of them) apparently pay a fairly significant service charge each year but most are rented out so I don't know if the leaseholders are too concerned about the maintenance issues or they would have maybe done something about it. I think a right to manage would be difficult to get going.

What would my options be in taking this flat to try and get the level of maintenance improved? Or is it more hassle than its worth?

camptownraces

Sounds like trouble.
Who is the Freeholder - is it a private firm/individual, is it the council, is it a company composed of the leaseholders?

You might have a chance trying to influence the last, but no chance with the first two.

Have you yet discovered how much the service charge is, and is there a sinking fund?

piggeh

I'm still waiting for the service charge details although I believe its about £1k a year. The freeholder is a limited company.