Bad experience with Flat maintenance agent(Peverel OM Ltd)!

Mark_Fulham

Are the County Estate Management by any chance?

To call these guys a group of in******t, r**e, fr******nt cowboys would be putting it mildly. (libellous words edited out)

If you don't get organised as a group of residents, have good communication between yourselves and insist on regular reviews with a new agent the same will happen again.

I think £100 - £300 per dwelling is the London rate for purely the managing agents fee (their admin etc) then £5k to £10k for cleaning, same for gardening. Other costs like insurance, electricity etc should be given a u-switch every few years.

Also when you get work done the managing agent is usually paid a "kick back" of 10-15% so don't trust them to select contractors as they won't choose the lowest cost supplier

Mrsworldwide

Your development wouldn't happen to be Citiscape?

I cannot even get hold of the estate manager his phone is always on voicemail and he never responds to any letters or phonecalls.

Roni1975

Can anyone suggest how I can get these cowboys PEVEREL to lower the management charge or get rid of them.
I pay over £100 a month for the management fee, and its a big estate. They have just informed me of more expenses for communal internal/external redecoration. They have also asked for £88 just to tell them and register my current tennants in the one flat i rent out.
Can anyone suggets a way to stop these guys??? the FSA??
Cheers

tbs624

This lot are members of ARMA and are supposed to subscribe to a Code of Practice relating to service charges published by RICS ( Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors ) and as approved by the Secretaries of State for England and Wales under the terms of Section 87 of the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993. Copy available from the RICS on :020 7222 7000.
You could maybe also try a complaint to Trading Standards/Office of Fair Trading?

scooby98765

I tried to sort payment out, which admittedly was late.

They added costs on for just sending letters (£125 +vat) - nearly £500 for 3 letters.

When I phoned up to complain, the just laughed down the phone at me.

I've written to the developer (who is also the leaseholder), and I suggest you do the same.

Newmason Properties in Bradford use Peverel - and so a letter to them is a good start.

the more people write the letters of complaint, the more the leaseholder wont use them.

dmg24

scooby98765 wrote: »

I tried to sort payment out, which admittedly was late.

They added costs on for just sending letters (£125 +vat) - nearly £500 for 3 letters.

When I phoned up to complain, the just laughed down the phone at me.

I've written to the developer (who is also the leaseholder), and I suggest you do the same.

Newmason Properties in Bradford use Peverel - and so a letter to them is a good start.

the more people write the letters of complaint, the more the leaseholder wont use them.

Unfortunately I have to disagree with your last line, at least in the case of David Wilson Homes. Staff from DWH have acknowledged that Peverel are a bunch of cowboys, but they won't do anything about it.

I am interested that you have been charged for late payment. I don't think I have ever paid them on time, but have never been charged any extra. That would imply to me that this charge is discretionary (either that or they have made an exception for me just to shut me up!).

I do find £125 incredible for one letter. I wonder if this is something that could be challenged through the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal? I'm not sure tbh.

Artistxman

Roni1975 wrote: »

Can anyone suggest how I can get these cowboys PEVEREL to lower the management charge or get rid of them.
I pay over £100 a month for the management fee, and its a big estate. They have just informed me of more expenses for communal internal/external redecoration. They have also asked for £88 just to tell them and register my current tennants in the one flat i rent out.
Can anyone suggets a way to stop these guys??? the FSA??
Cheers

I would like to feedback which might help others. We set up an online yahoo group for our property and got few email addresses of neighbours. The group has gradually taken off and now has 35 members. The group also facilitated us in setting up meeting with residents and a local management group. The local management company has done a few mail shots to all the owners to organise further meetings. We are nearly there in getting our numbers above 50% and hoping to get rid of peverel and set up a residents RTM company and give out contracts to local management company. This way the residents will have control over the maintenance of the property.

I hope this gives you a start as it can be difficult to get all the owners details in a big property.

Peridot

We also have the severe misfortune to have Peverel as our management agents. When we moved in 8 years ago we were told our service charge would be £1200 pa - it's now almost £3000 pa and still rising with every 6 monthly bill. There has been no decoration in that time and I am at a loss to know where this money goes - although the last bill said they'd gone over by £40k so they were reclaiming these costs from us! And we also have to pay their overdraft fees! Our Estate Manager declines to speak to us (in person or on the phone) or to reply to letters, saying she is "too busy to deal with residents"! Presumably too busy frittering our money! It's pushed us to the point where we just want to move out as we can't deal with ever-spiralling costs combined with the ever-decreasing service.

Artistxman

Get rid of Peverel...by first getting a group of residents together.

guppy

Peridot wrote: »

There has been no decoration in that time and I am at a loss to know where this money goes - although the last bill said they'd gone over by £40k so they were reclaiming these costs from us! And we also have to pay their overdraft fees!

Consider seeing a solicitor, I would imagine you have the right to request an audit.

It might also be an idea to contact the RICS:

http://www.rics.org/newregulation/publiccomp.html

I'm shocked by what a scam this seems to be!