Question for leaseholders / service charges etc

another_casualty

Howdy !

I pay my service charges six monthly . The managing agents seem to do a good job on the whole . I have been here approx 18 months.

I have however raised an issue over window cleaning , or lack of.
I don't think that the windows have been cleaned this year . I sent an email last week to the managing agents asking as to when they do get cleaned, how many times a yea etc.

They sent someone over last Monday . There are still marks on the windows . The marks of ( probably dirty) water . They looked like they weren't wiped . I think it's an afterthought .

I took photos and sent them to the managing agents. The house manager initially wanted to give my phone number to 'Tomasz' .
I refused and said that it is between myself and the managing agents and not a third party.

Fair enough, she has passed my comments to Tomasz and asked him to reattend . I thanked the managing agents and apologised for inconvenience . However , nobody has returned .

I think the best thing is to wait until Monday and ask what has happened . If Tomasz does not reattend then I think the charge should be reduced because my windows have marks on them .
I did suggest that maybe it was dirty water ,or that it could be that the excessive heat dried the water too quickly , or that the windows weren't wiped.

Has anybody been in a similar situation , and could offer advice ?

Thanks

-taff

When I lived in my flat the windows were cleaned once a year out of the service money.
I just organised directly with a window cleaner for her to come monthly.

cattie

Where I live the windows in the communal parts are cleaned once a month as part of our service charge, but each flat owner pays separately to the window cleaner to have the windows of their flat cleaned.

If the windows of your actual flat should be cleaned regularly as part of the service charge you pay, then your lease should detail this & show how often they should be cleaned.

another_casualty

Thanks for your help. It seems slightly coincidental that Tomasz was called upon after I queried . I know that leases differ wherever you go. I am in 2 minds whether to mention it again on Monday , or wait until the meeting that the mgt have once a year . Anyone of the leaseholders can attend , but I don't really want to go such lengths .
I just think that I was overlooked by the office manager for sone reason.

Hoploz

If window cleaning is noted in your service charge as an itemised item, then y should get what you pay for. If its agreed they're cleaned monthly for example then that should happen. The managing agents would not necessarily know if he didn't turn up one month unless it's reported, so it's useful to tell them these things.

However in two of the flats I've owned window cleaning hasn't been covered. It was up to individual flats to organise their own. One I own at the moment there is no window cleaning - it actually states in the lease that it is up to each leaseholder to clean their own windows once a month. But when they're several storeys up its impossible so we just have to put up with filthy windows!