Misinformed about service charge :(

AdrianC

ilikepancakes wrote: »

It does not matter at all. For me the outcome is the same. It is their business to establish which of them fuked up.

No, they did their job - they gave you a figure which, to the best of their knowledge, was accurate.

It's your solicitor's job to determine if it actually is accurate.

Comms69

ilikepancakes wrote: »

That's fine, they owe me nothing but I owe them nothing as well.

But for some reason I think they would blame me if I pull out or ask for reduction, do you agree?

Ok let's say they blame you - why do you care?

ilikepancakes

Smodlet wrote: »

What a terrifying thought! So you plan to live until you are at least 127 years old, do you? To precisely what species do you belong, OP? If you are, in fact, from another planet wherein this lifespan is accounted normal, it would explain for a great deal...

Someone post a link to a Jim Reeves song, quick! :rotfl:

Smodlet, i was repying to somebody else because he said it is not perpetuity. And after I wrote I will be paying it for 109 years i put a wink
My point is, this additional £400 is not a one of payment. I will have to pay every year I own the flat, and another disadvantage of it, it will be more difficult to sell the flat in the future.

AdrianC wrote: »

No, they did their job - they gave you a figure which, to the best of their knowledge, was accurate.

It's your solicitor's job to determine if it actually is accurate.

And now, it turns out that their knowledge about a quarter million pound flat they are selling is not accurate.
I can pull out and forget about them but we are over 3 months in the process, my vendor found a flat to buy, all of us had some costs already, everybody is waiting for me and I really want to make it work for everybody, that's why I don't want to pull out but I feel I am overpaying now because this £400 increase.

Comms69 wrote: »

Ok let's say they blame you - why do you care?

Hmm, I don't care what do they say about me but I care about the whole process.

I would like to split the hit between me and them and ideally ask for some reduction. And the problem is I don't know if I should ask or not because even with £2400 service charge I would buy it (but in this case I am overpaying a bit)

need_an_answer

OP...so now you know the true figure for the service charge for the coming year...how do you feel knowing that potentially your neighbour pays less than you for what appears to be the same services?

(in accordance with the lease split of course)

or am I just playing devils advocate here and taking the thread off topic.
But even so seriously you have so much to learn about the workings of leasehold and the policies of management companies....not to mention estate agents.

ilikepancakes

need_an_answer wrote: »

OP...so now you know the true figure for the service charge for the coming year...how do you feel knowing that potentially your neighbour pays less than you for what appears to be the same services?

(in accordance with the lease split of course)

or am I just playing devils advocate here and taking the thread off topic.
But even so seriously you have so much to learn about the workings of leasehold and the policies of management companies.

You mean neighbour in the same building (which should have te same service charges) or neighbour from other building which has different service charges but access to the same facilities?

AdrianC

ilikepancakes wrote: »

You mean neighbour in the same building (which should have te same service charges)

Thank you for the confirmation...

Clue: Service charges are usually not apportioned absolutely equally. They're usually related to floor area of individual leases.

So if "your" flat is bigger than "next door", you're paying more.

Comms69

ilikepancakes wrote: »

Smodlet, i was repying to somebody else because he said it is not perpetuity. And after I wrote I will be paying it for 109 years i put a wink
My point is, this additional £400 is not a one of payment. I will have to pay every year I own the flat, and another disadvantage of it, it will be more difficult to sell the flat in the future.



And now, it turns out that their knowledge about a quarter million pound flat they are selling is not accurate.
I can pull out and forget about them but we are over 3 months in the process, my vendor found a flat to buy, all of us had some costs already, everybody is waiting for me and I really want to make it work for everybody, that's why I don't want to pull out but I feel I am overpaying now because this £400 increase.


Hmm, I don't care what do they say about me but I care about the whole process.

I would like to split the hit between me and them and ideally ask for some reduction. And the problem is I don't know if I should ask or not because even with £2400 service charge I would buy it (but in this case I am overpaying a bit)

Just offer what you want to pay for it. The property is only worth what the buyer and seller can agree to buy/sell it for.

need_an_answer

ilikepancakes wrote: »

You mean neighbour in the same building (which should have te same service charges) or neighbour from other building which has different service charges but access to the same facilities?

I mean your next door neighbour...

He could live in a slightly different configuration of property and pay less or more than you.

I'll let you into a secret...I'm a director at a complex where there are a small amount of properties ranging from 1 to 2 beds and the service charges range in price by up to £60 a month difference dependant on the individual apartment you are the leaseholder of.....


Its not uncommon.

SallyAnneBooth

In the words of Connor Mcgregor: you'll do nuttin' you'll do !!!!!!' nuttin'

Honestly OP you've had some great advice from the posters, you need to step up and make a decision whether to renegotiate or not.

Smodlet

OK, OP, I admit I missed the wink. The point just about everyone has been making is one of proportion. Service charges are not set in stone... Or granite, or concrete or whatever building material this flat is made of. They can change at the drop of a hat. It seems there is a consultation process in place for sudden, large increases, according to a previous post but the fact remains, were a plane to hit the roof, the damage would have to be paid for somehow. Yes, there would be insurance, which would have to be paid for and which would increase after such an event.

Don't you get it? Repairs and maintenance have to be paid for by those they benefit. By their very nature, they are largely unpredictable, whether you buy a freehold house and are solely responsible or whether you buy a leasehold flat and share the expense.

The EA (in this rare instance, imho) did not lie to you; they made a mistake. We all do: You have, by your own admittance; I did just now when I attributed the credit for the Martians's demise to Jim Reeves when it should have been Slim Whitman.

You should never rely on a word that comes out of EAs' mouths anyway. Were they bound in law to tell the truth (that would be on another planet) no-one would need to engage solicitors to buy a property, would they?

As most have said, you need to decide whether you want to buy this flat or not and stop messing the vendor around. If they need to find another buyer, tell them now. How would you like to be treated the way you are treating them? None of this is the vendor's fault; they are not responsible for what an EA who can't be bothered to check guesses the service charge is; they were not there to correct them, were they?

Perhaps you should consider continuing to rent since you seem to me to be totally unprepared for home ownership of any kind. What on earth (?) would you do if something really bad happened? It's £400 a year; if you don't like it, don't buy it.