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Parking only for owner occupiers in flat block. Unfair?

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  • getmore4less
    getmore4less Posts: 46,882 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper I've helped Parliament
    How is access to the spaces currently managed?
  • Norman_Castle
    Norman_Castle Posts: 11,871 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    edited 30 June 2018 at 7:52AM
    If its not already then changing it to residents only would be a better idea. This sounds like mob rule with a few residents engineering things to suit themselves. Are they trying to exclude renters to accommodate multiple car ownership or provide space for their visitors?


    Who pays to maintain the parking area?
  • varghesejim
    varghesejim Posts: 151 Forumite
    How is access to the spaces currently managed?

    Just a board in the entrance saying residents only. Parking spaces are not allocated.
  • varghesejim
    varghesejim Posts: 151 Forumite
    If its not already then changing it to residents only would be a better idea. This sounds like mob rule with a few residents engineering things to suit themselves. Are they trying to exclude renters to accommodate multiple car ownership or provide space for their visitors?


    Who pays to maintain the parking area?

    It is residents only, but only a board saying this, no other enforcement.

    There are 24 flats in the block, but only 12 spaces inside. There are plenty of parking around the block on the road and it is more convenient for some flats to park on the road, so practically no issues.

    The service charge is same for all flats
  • diggingdude
    diggingdude Posts: 2,492 Forumite
    Seventh Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    I would expect a significant reduction in ground rent and service charge if i lost access to car park as property will be worth less and would put me off if looking to rent your flat also
    An answer isn't spam just because you don't like it......
  • exiled_red
    exiled_red Posts: 261 Forumite
    I don't know about the legal position but it sounds dodgy to me, and there are a number of practical issues, for example presumably everyone currently pays an equal share of the ground rent / management / maintenance fees, will this be changed so those using the car park will be the only ones paying for it's up keep? Also This is a temporary position, if this went ahead your tenant wouldn't have access to car parking but if you moved in you would, similarly if you sold up and the new owner lived there they would have access, so there is the potential that the situation could keep changing. It would require someone keeping track of all this and changing the fees everyone paid accordingly.


    Finally there is the question of how such a policy would be enforced, short of either putting a gate up and restricting access to the key what can they do to stop people parking there? Pay someone to manage it, or are owner occupiers going to go out clamping tenants cars?
  • Norman_Castle
    Norman_Castle Posts: 11,871 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    There are plenty of parking around the block on the road and it is more convenient for some flats to park on the road, so practically no issues.
    It sounds like a few overly involved residents trying to extend their ownership. A few long term residents been unable to park where they want so trying to change things to benefit themselves with self serving rules? Owner occupiers claiming importance over tenants?


    There are issues, the residents committee is biased and unfair.
  • NeilCr
    NeilCr Posts: 4,430 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    It sounds like a few overly involved residents trying to extend their ownership. A few long term residents been unable to park where they want so trying to change things to benefit themselves with self serving rules? Owner occupiers claiming importance over tenants?


    There are issues, the residents committee is biased and unfair.

    I think that's a possibility. The OP needs to find out more about how this is happening and what authority is being used to push through this change. As a director, on what has been said here, it's definitely not something I'd be supporting.

    However (and no criticism of the OP intended) my experience of being a director of two resident owned estates over a number of years is that the majority of shareholders are quite happy to not get involved at all and let the board get on with it. They only tend to appear when something effects them directly.

    And that can lead to a situation where the power is in the hands of a few people. That is fine if they are doing a good job but, obviously, if they are self serving that may suddenly be an issue.

    It's important that shareholders in a residents management company, if they don't want to get actively involved, read minutes and newsletters, attend AGMs so they, at least, have some sense of what is going on.
  • varghesejim
    varghesejim Posts: 151 Forumite
    NeilCr wrote: »
    I think that's a possibility. The OP needs to find out more about how this is happening and what authority is being used to push through this change. As a director, on what has been said here, it's definitely not something I'd be supporting.

    However (and no criticism of the OP intended) my experience of being a director of two resident owned estates over a number of years is that the majority of shareholders are quite happy to not get involved at all and let the board get on with it. They only tend to appear when something effects them directly.

    And that can lead to a situation where the power is in the hands of a few people. That is fine if they are doing a good job but, obviously, if they are self serving that may suddenly be an issue.

    It's important that shareholders in a residents management company, if they don't want to get actively involved, read minutes and newsletters, attend AGMs so they, at least, have some sense of what is going on.

    You are spot on. Myself living a bit far, does not usually involve in association stuff and dont attend AGM too. I do read the minutes but usually don't bother to take issue of anything. This issue is a bit different.

    Regarding Power in the hands of few people. This year with the parking issue there is something else happened in AGM which might be related. Two new directors are appointed and the third person got spilt vote, so they again sent a form to shareholders to vote for the third person. All three have the same surname!

    I think the idea of owner occupier parking is raised by one of the new directors!

    Should we be worried?
  • Browntoa
    Browntoa Posts: 49,602 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    I wonder if some tenants are causing problems by selling parking spaces on justpark or other parking apps .

    Or they are a 3 car family and want to all park cars
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