Unexpected Management Fee

emv

Does anyone know if the principles of this could be held to apply even though we're freeholders who share communal costs and pay a 'superior landlord' rather than being leaseholders?
Mentions the need to consult if costs arising from utilities will exceed £100.
http://www.lease-advice.org/advice-guide/section-20-consultation-for-private-landlords-resident-management-companies-and-their-agents/

eddddy

emv wrote: »

Does anyone know if the principles of this could be held to apply even though we're freeholders who share communal costs and pay a 'superior landlord' rather than being leaseholders?
Mentions the need to consult if costs arising from utilities will exceed £100.
http://www.lease-advice.org/advice-guide/section-20-consultation-for-private-landlords-resident-management-companies-and-their-agents/

Those rights don't apply to freeholders.

Laws have been passed to protect leaseholders. No similar laws have been passed to protect freeholders.

Have a read of "ADVICE NOTE FREEHOLD HOUSES ON PRIVATE ESTATES - A guide for freehold homeowners paying service charges" http://arma.org.uk/downloader/f15.pdf


As the guide says:

Although freeholders may be paying for exactly the same services as leaseholders, there’s an important legal distinction between the two payments. The Government has passed a number of Acts of Parliament giving rights and protection to leasehold flat owners, which unfortunately don’t apply to freeholders.

moneyistooshorttomention

emv wrote: »

The developer's rationale for expecting us to pay immediately was that we should have known about it via the Committee so even if not everyone attends, it does sound like the role is to disseminate information, and that didn't come to us :-(

I can follow the developers logic on this.

Well - it's not up to the committee who they will (or won't) allow on it. Every house there has a right to be represented on it and the people in those houses shouldnt be letting their personal feelings come into this.

It sounds as if you need to give a letter to Secretary of this committee stating that "we appear to have been overlooked for receiving information relating to this" and formally requesting notice of meetings to be given to you in future and to be supplied with minutes of these meetings.

You have every right to get this information and to be there present at the meetings personally if you wish.

Maybe this right is enshrined somewhere in law too? Worth checking...

In your position - I would be making darn sure I had my minutes/agendas/etc and all written information everyone else gets. If I felt like turning up to meetings - then I'd do so too and they could "glare" all they pleased and I would insist on my x% of a "say" about things (a 1/10th of the "say" if there are 10 houses, a 1/100th of the say if there are 100 houses) and so on.

HeatherC_2

Do you know what treatment system is installed? Has this included things like maintanence/service visits or repairs? Depending on the system I should be able to find out a rough amount of electrical units the system would use.

glasgowdan

£620 (actually double that as we pay 2 shares). I have disputed the bill at it was payable within 14 days & that's over 2 months' income for us

Just to clarify, as a couple you bring home £600 a month?

emv

I have written to the two people the developer tells me are in charge of the committee and asked the developer to provide copies of all information sent to them. But I can't find any law that seems to apply. As I may have said above, our house deeds state that we should all become members of the management company. I have been writing to the developer for 2.5 years requesting this as then each household would have a director & we'd all have to be included.

Heather C,I think it's a WPL Hipaf Midi 3 chamber system. Apparently installed in 1996 though not 100% sure. I think that means it's actually at the end of its lifespan.

moneyistooshorttomention

Sounds like you need to put in that letter to management committee that "we are all obliged by our deeds to belong to this - and therefore I look forward to my copies of everything/details of meetings/etc".

You are making the point to them that they arent allowed to exclude you - even if they wish to.

emv

That's a good point, thanks.