Service Charges on new build developments

buel

Wow! We are looking at a new build that has a maintenance charge and I’m paranoid about it!!

RelievedSheff

Just to level the playing field a little, not all new build estates have maintenance or management fees. The large estate we bought on last year has no charges.

There are a lot of green spaces and woods on the estate and these are maintained by the local authority.

We didn't expect this and had fully anticipated paying a management fee, so it was a very pleasant surprise when we reserved and bought the property to discover there was no fee.

RelievedSheff

I will just add that the local authority do a great job of maintaining the grounds and they are always well cut and the woods well maintained.

Our estate is part of a wider development which is also very green with parcels of the development dating back some 30 years.

All of the public green spaces are still well maintained at that age.

michelle230

mirv69 wrote: »

Hello, this is something that has come to light with me personally this week as I am in the process of selling my current home which is also on a development. We are a freehold house and the estate is mixed with flats/houses/ terraced etc and all on one estate. Now the tricky bit, the flats and houses which have shared communal areas, stairs, drives, gardens all pay maintenance charges to a management company. regardless if the houses are Freehold or not. The flats pay ground rent as leased but the houses that are freehold don't pay ground rent. The houses that don't have shared access/communal areas don't pay ground rent or maintenance charges. There is listed in deeds that an Estate Rent, ( different to the other two) is payable once the entire estate is handed over to the management company, This has not been paid by me or anyone else in 19yrs but can be invoked at any time. Clear as mud but just be careful to understand where you sit in the above scenarios. Pont to note, in 2037 all ground rents/ estate rents will be scrapped I think by government legislation.

There will be some smart alecs on here who will claim it`s your fault for not "reading" your lease! Because of course it`s all so simple and transparent!

michelle230

buel wrote: »

Wow! We are looking at a new build that has a maintenance charge and I’m paranoid about it!!

Do lots of reseach. Ask lots of questions. Get everything in writing. Above all, do not use the developer`s "recommended" solicitor. Employ your own solicitor who ought to look very carefully through the lease/deeds and explain all ongoing financial commitments.
You may be lucky or you may end up unlucky if you don`t get everything explained and in writing. (Things like will the council be adopting the estate).
Many people have been told things by the sales staff which have turned out to be untrue.

DCFC79

michelle230 wrote: »

There will be some smart alecs on here who will claim it`s your fault for not "reading" your lease! Because of course it`s all so simple and transparent!

You do realise marv wont respond ?

DCFC79

buel wrote: »

Wow! We are looking at a new build that has a maintenance charge and I’m paranoid about it!!

Why are you paranoid about it ?

Have you asked what the fee covers ?

If the local authority dont adopt the road then the management company take care of the green spaces, any pot holes that appear.

DCFC79

michelle230 wrote: »

Do lots of reseach. Ask lots of questions. Get everything in writing. Above all, do not use the developer`s "recommended" solicitor. Employ your own solicitor who ought to look very carefully through the lease/deeds and explain all ongoing financial commitments.
You may be lucky or you may end up unlucky if you don`t get everything explained and in writing. (Things like will the council be adopting the estate).
Many people have been told things by the sales staff which have turned out to be untrue.

Nothing wrong with using the solicitor recommended by the solicitor.

csgohan4

DCFC79 wrote: »

Nothing wrong with using the solicitor recommended by the developer.

Corrected for you


But I disagree with you. Conflict of interest being one, who do you think gets commission? Recommended services are often poor quality, just look at ones recommended by Estate Agents

RelievedSheff

csgohan4 wrote: »

Corrected for you


But I disagree with you. Conflict of interest being one, who do you think gets commission? Recommended services are often poor quality, just look at ones recommended by Estate Agents

We used a solicitor from the developers recommended panel and it was made quite clear from the out set, by both the developers and the solicitors, that the solicitors did not get commision from the developers.