Smoke alarms

LittleMax

Grandmasu wrote: »

I don't know if any one maybe able to help with this query. I own a leasehold flat and in October our smoke alarms were updated. It was assumed that this was ongoing maintenance and servicing.

Never assume. You should have checked when they booked to access the flat. But I do think it remiss of them not to have advised that there would be a charge and what it would be. However they probably wouldn't have got agreement and co-operation from all leaseholders to get the work done quite so easily.

How long have you lived there? I'm assuming there have never been additional charges before otherwise you would have queried when they booked to do the work. What do your neighbours think about it? Have you asked for a payment plan? You could all ask for it to come out of the sinking fund, but then there will be a shortfall to be made up which you would have to pay anyway, so would face increased charges next year. The bill has to be paid it is just finding the best way to pay it.

westv

hazyjo wrote: »

But they can only guess at that - occasionally an additional expense will crop up. We all have unforeseen costs we haven't budgeted for, and sometimes they're like buses and three things will go at once (just like my bloomin' oven that's gone kaput).


Jx

Smoke alarm replacement may not have been an unforeseen cost as they normally should be renewed after a certain time anyway.

hazyjo

westv wrote: »

Smoke alarm replacement may not have been an unforeseen cost as they normally should be renewed after a certain time anyway.

We can only but speculate For less than £100 per flat, I expect it wasn't worth them adding to the service charge (would they have budgeted two months ahead charging them an extra £50pm?) - maybe it needed doing quicker than they anticipated, who knows. It's prob within the price limit of what they can charge on top in their contract, so they prob thought it was the easiest option.


Jx

Grandmasu

Hello

thanks again for all the replies. Hazyjo. As far as I remember it was booked as routine maintenance so had no reason to query it.

LittleMax. I have lived here for two and a half years and have never had any additional charges. I never ask for work to be done by the managing agent as we all know that their charges are extortionate.

I would have thought that we would have been Informed in October if there was a charge to be made, and am puzzled why it is 8 months later when a bill is sent with 28days to pay by debit card. All other maintenance including one offs like clearing a gutter are not billed like this. My neighbours are equally incensed and feel that we are not being treated fairly.

Thank you all.