Should we be charged for grass cutting

burtons

I rent my house from a housing association and we've received a letter for the rent increase but it's now showing we are being charged 3 pence for management charge for provision of services and 29 pence for grass cutting on land that the housing association owns.
A lot of people have gone on the housing association facebook page and had a moan so they put a link up to read about the changes.


As part of new legislation from Welsh Government the housing association now need to detail how your rent is being spent. We have always charged for these services, but in the past these have just been included within your rent amount. If you have been renting with us since April 2016 then you will pay an additional amount towards these services. If you have been renting with us before April 2016 these charges are already included within your rent. The reason for this difference is because our tenancy agreement changed for new tenants on this date.


The grass cutting charge is based on the amount spent looking after areas which belong to the housing association in your whole community. The total amount is then split equally between every house in your community. You will still need to maintain your own garden.

agrinnall

How quickly would you be moaning if the grass wasn't cut?

burtons

agrinnall wrote: »

How quickly would you be moaning if the grass wasn't cut?

Where they cut the grass I cannot see it :mad:

pollypenny

Oh, for goodness sake, you surely want the place kept tidy! That's a good Welsh term for you.

System

Oh you are moaning about 32p!

Get a grip!

DoaM

32p an hour I'd moan
32p a day I'd mutter
32p a week - are you having a laugh?

Has YOUR rent actually increased by this amount specifically? Did you rent prior to April 2016?

burtons

DoaM wrote: »

32p an hour I'd moan
32p a day I'd mutter
32p a week - are you having a laugh?

Has YOUR rent actually increased by this amount specifically? Did you rent prior to April 2016?

My rent has gone up about £5 a week and yes I did rent before april 2016. I know 32p don't sound a lot but they stop cutting grass for four months then once they start back up they don't cut the grass each week. If everyone that rents pays the same the money will soon amount up making them a profit. The thing that makes me mad is I'm paying a certain amount to keep the patch of land tidy but my neighbour doesn't have to due to them owning their own home so they don't care if they took their dog on the patch of land and let it do it's business.

shaun_from_Africa

burtons wrote: »

I know 32p don't sound a lot but they stop cutting grass for four months then once they start back up they don't cut the grass each week. If everyone that rents pays the same the money will soon amount up making them a profit.

That doesn't automatically mean that the HA will be making a profit from the payments.
The company they employ to cut the grass may well be charging a set amount per year and not an amount each time the grass is cut.
If this is the case, the HA may simply have worked out the annual cost per tenant and divided it up into weekly payments.

McKneff

Your neighbours will be paying theres within theit council tax

p00hsticks

McKneff wrote: »

Your neighbours will be paying theres within theit council tax

And what makes you think the OP isn't paying exactly the same amount of council tax as the neighbours ?

DoaM

The neighbours may well be paying a ground rent charge ... just because they own the property doesn't mean they own the freehold to the land.