FirstPort/Peverel may be VERY seriously harmful to our elderly people.

NeilCr

I am not bothered about favours to me

You have to decide whether you are here to rant about FP or to help out the people you feel are being hard done by. 

coachman12

NeilCr said:

I am not bothered about favours to me

You have to decide whether you are here to rant about FP or to help out the people you feel are being hard done by. 
________________________________________________________
Both, thanks.

BillTrac

When my mum fell ill late 2011 and couldn't manage on her own in her home I sorted out a McCarthy and Stone flat for her. (I possibly would think twice now but hey ho). She loved the socialising, Fish and Chip suppers, Monday get togethers, the trips out, etc. Gave her a damn site more of a social life with people of her own age that she had when she lived in her house.
   
My mum died a couple of years ago and we sold her flat for a few thousand £ more than she paid for it in 2012. It was a big surprise when the executors told me about the charge that had to be paid to the management company (I assume Firstport) upon selling. For what? They had no input at all unlike the Solicitor/Executor etc.
So they charged £600 for transfer fee, £324 for  Management info pack, £150 for leasehold info pack. Good way to get more money with minimal input (few minutes to sort out each?) Over £1k!!

I also resented the Ground Rent 'Demands' which E&M (Estates and Management)used to send. Of course they needed paying, it was the 'demand' email message title I objected to.

I do disagree though with the negative comments about the House Manager. She was very popular with the residents and actually seemed to care. Always weekly checks on her residents, and more often if they were feeling poorly or hadn't left their flats for a while. She would always give me a call if she was concerned about my mum and made sure she knew about the funeral and attended it.

Coachman12, there are always two sides to things and I agree that Peveral/Firstport are not the sort of Management Company I would want to deal with when I get to retirement but these buildings suit a great deal of people (they wouldn't build/sell so many if they didn't)

You have a complaint then fine, but don't rant. And certainly don't treat people who disagree and FP employees.   

A_Nice_Englishman

coachman12 said:

NeilCr said:

I am not bothered about favours to me

You have to decide whether you are here to rant about FP or to help out the people you feel are being hard done by. 
________________________________________________________
Both, thanks.

It might be best to start a new thread in Praise, Vents and Warnings for the rants and leave this one for people to relate their experiences and keep us updated on how you get on helping your relative and her neighbours?

coachman12

A_Nice_Englishman said:

coachman12 said:

NeilCr said:

I am not bothered about favours to me

You have to decide whether you are here to rant about FP or to help out the people you feel are being hard done by. 
________________________________________________________
Both, thanks.

It might be best to start a new thread in Praise, Vents and Warnings for the rants and leave this one for people to relate their experiences and keep us updated on how you get on helping your relative and her neighbours?

Thank you, I have done so. But I cannot overstate the serious nature of this thread and the way in which a bunch of very shady characters who are getting away with murder
http://www.spanglefish.com/aboutpeverel/ 

coachman12

Regarding my aunt's flat and others in a complex managed by the dreaded FirstPort/Peverel-------
I have spoken with a resident of the flats' complex in Rye, Sussex, that got together and kicked out FirstPort/Peverel and they have been most helpful in providing advice. I am then arranging a meeting with all the residents trusted by my aunt and with similar views about how FirstPort are ripping off all the residents with their service charges which are double some other local flats  (because those other flats do not do more work than necessary and do not use their own subsidiary or linked companies and skim the profits). The meeting will be arranged without the resident FirstPort commandant being aware of it.
The first item on the agenda will be the possibility of the majority of residents buying the freehold , because it would put residents in complete control immediately to sack FirstPort and appoint a reputable managing agent company; and if the freehold price is inflated to put off residents paying the cost, there is a Tribunal to fix a fair price.
If that does not work out, the idea is to go down the legal path of exercising the "right to manage" provisions which are open to anyone. Am I right in thinking that if an EGM is called , it only needs a simple majority of those who actually attend the meeting to carry the motion? Does anyone know whether that is correct please.
On a separate point just for information, I wonder if anyone can tell me if FirstPort/Peverel carry out their nasty practices in Scotland. As my relative's flat and those I am aware of are all in southern counties, I wondered whether Scotland and the north of England are lumbered with FirstPort or whether they had avoided them altogether. Thx.

A_Nice_Englishman

Just try not raise the expectations of those invited to your meetings too much.
The other residents may outnumber and disagree with them.

NeilCr

A_Nice_Englishman said:

Just try not raise the expectations of those invited to your meetings too much.
The other residents may outnumber and disagree with them.

This

Plus getting a vote may well  be the easy part. There is a lot to do for RTM and then there is the responsibility of running the place

Here is a guide to the process and what to think about

https://www.lease-advice.org/advice-guide/right-manage/

I've got to say I have a concern about how quickly you are going at this and whether you really understand all that is involved.

It's a big step. Think I'd be inclined to have an exploratory meeting with the residents to gauge opinion and views rather than rush into votes over something people may not fully grasp.

coachman12

NeilCr said:

A_Nice_Englishman said:

Just try not raise the expectations of those invited to your meetings too much.
The other residents may outnumber and disagree with them.

This

Plus getting a vote may well  be the easy part. There is a lot to do for RTM and then there is the responsibility of running the place

Here is a guide to the process and what to think about

https://www.lease-advice.org/advice-guide/right-manage/

I've got to say I have a concern about how quickly you are going at this and whether you really understand all that is involved.

It's a big step. Think I'd be inclined to have an exploratory meeting with the residents to gauge opinion and views rather than rush into votes over something people may not fully grasp.

Thx for your interest. I am indeed doing as you suggest ie. dipping a foot in the water and holding a fact-finding consultation meeting before thinking of the next stages' options, which I obviously did not make clear in my last posting. So I assume I receive your nod of approval for that approach.
You didn't mention one of the points I made about asking residents about the possibility of buying the freehold at a fair price ( thus giving residents full control to do as they wish and kick out FirstPort), and once an asking amount is put on the table, measuring how long it would take to make up that cost by asking a range of other management companies about their service charges and bearing in mind that most residents are, I understand, already agreed that external redecoration and public area indoor redecoration are carried out on a strict timetable in perpetuity by FirstPoint when they are totally unnecessary (  residents' front doors are so thick with paint that they are several inches thicker than the  normal door with just one undercoat and two coats of gloss paint on it !).
In the meantime I firmly believe in an approach ( which you seem to frown on ) that FirstPort should continue to be put under as much public pressure ( "ranting" as the MSE forums' self-important elitist posters love calling it) , especially via websites such as I have listed many times such as those specifically dedicated to bringing an end to FirstPort/Peverel eg "Against Peverel" on spanglefish and many others.

NeilCr

Buying the freehold costs. You have to stump up and, as well, pay the existing freeholders reasonable costs and your own solicitors

More reading for you

https://www.lease-advice.org/fact-sheet/collective-enfranchisement-buying-freehold-building/

We bought the freehold of my previous block. The freeholder actually wanted to sell and gave us first refusal. It took quite a while and did cost a bit. I added it to my mortgage. What happens if some of the residents don't want to be involved (one of ours didn't). The others will have to pay out more and that can cause resentment etc, I'd go RTM first for sure

I am still not sure that you really grasp all that is involved here. And will you have residents who want to be actively engaged with running the building, being directors

I, also, agree with The Nice Englishman. Keep the digs at FirstPort off this thread and concentrate on the process here