A2 dominion service charge increases insanely high!

321p123

Hi guys just after a bit of advice, I am shared ownership of one bed flat In North Surrey area.
I'm feeling financial pressures with the cost of living but have just had my new service charge fee through, and nearly passed out.

The block is un cladded 3 stories high, my block consists of 18 flats. 
In the hallways is around 20 lights that are low powered and turn on with a motion sensor, there is also a couple outside lights that seem to be on all night above entrance doors, yet my block electricity bill is quoted at £6510 a year !!! 
As a shared owner I have to pay 1100 a year for a light in my hallway! 
This just doesn't add up to me. Could similar owners tell me how much is their electricity?

Also I stated 3 stories high, no cladding, my buildings insurance has gone from a tiny amount, to 700 last year, then a whopping 2400 this year!!!

In summary my cost to live here (rent and mortgage)
Has gone from 680 pcm to 900 pounds pcm !!! 

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

It's a one bed flat in a poor area I'd say, they hoover once a week for 2 mins per floor, and the place hasn't had a lick of paint since I moved in.

Shelldean

We're with A2dominion too but as rented.
Don't have exact figure to hand but some parts of ours has risen steeply too.

We've been told our place is being sold so waiting with bated breath in the hopes of an escape from them. Next landlord can't be as bad surely.
Least am.hoping.not.

I've raised a couple of queries about our via their retail service I'd guess you could do the same!?

Brie

I'd be asking for a breakdown of their figures frankly.  How does £6510 divided by 18 + £1100?  I think it should be about £360!! So £30 a month.  They should also be providing copies of the insurance too IMHO.

321p123

Well the 2 floors above me are social housing so they don't have to pay so the whole bill gets split between the 6 shared owners on the ground floor..... yes it doesn't sound fair but as I understand that's how it is.

321p123

Shelldean said:

We're with A2dominion too but as rented.
Don't have exact figure to hand but some parts of ours has risen steeply too.

We've been told our place is being sold so waiting with bated breath in the hopes of an escape from them. Next landlord can't be as bad surely.
Least am.hoping.not.

I've raised a couple of queries about our via their retail service I'd guess you could do the same!?

It seems they fall sleep on the zero key on the computers at head office, I hear its errors responsible for the high prices.
They are also demanding I pay 800 in service charge by march from last year.
Just can't be right I'm struggling to keep My head above water at the moment 

321p123

Brie said:

I'd be asking for a breakdown of their figures frankly.  How does £6510 divided by 18 + £1100?  I think it should be about £360!! So £30 a month.  They should also be providing copies of the insurance too IMHO.

Unless they are literally quoting us 6600 for 6 lights !!! 
At this point I really don't know but from what I understand the shared owners pay for the social tenants which I feel is unfair, as I know social claimants earn the equivalent of 32 k pa bur don't have to worry about inflation etc

[Deleted User]

321p123 said:

Well the 2 floors above me are social housing so they don't have to pay so the whole bill gets split between the 6 shared owners on the ground floor..... yes it doesn't sound fair but as I understand that's how it is.

It sounds like they're made a mistake.

Why would you pay a share of other properties charges - it should fall to the landlord of those social properties i.e. A2dominion to cover their service charges.

A colleague has a similar setup with the exception that the social housing is in distinct blocks. Those blocks are slightly lower specification inside, don't have a lift and don't have allocated parking but otherwise identical. Their landlord meets their share of the service charges but they don't pay towards lifts etc that they don't have. 

eddddy

321p123 said:

Well the 2 floors above me are social housing so they don't have to pay so the whole bill gets split between the 6 shared owners on the ground floor..... yes it doesn't sound fair but as I understand that's how it is.

You should have a look at your lease. Typically, if there are 18 (similar sized) flats in a block, you would pay 1/18th of the costs.

It shouldn't really make any difference that some of the flats are social housing.

What documents are you looking at to get your figures? Are you looking at an estimated service charge budget for the coming year? And is your estimated service charge 1/18th of that total budget?


To be fair, the electricity bill will be whatever the electricity company charges. Your management company has no control over that. The management company won't be allowed to add a chunk on top.

And the buildings insurance premium might have increased because of lots of claims. In blocks of flats, there are often 'escape of water' claims.

321p123

I have an itemised statement for the upcoming year, there are 6 shared owner flats.
I pay 16.66 percent of charges which equates to the shared owners paying 100 percent of the quoted prices.
So maybe we do only pat for our hallway in that case they are asking 6600 gbp a year for 6 low powered lights that only come on if you walk under them !!! 
I'm just after some guidance on wether I'm right in saying that cannot be consuming that amount of electric 

user1977

321p123 said:

I'm just after some guidance on whether I'm right in saying that cannot be consuming that amount of electric 

No, I would say the figure is wrong. Are you sure it's purely for electricity consumption, and only for the lights? Always possible that the meter doesn't just have the lights going through it...

And as said, the proportion you ought to be paying is determined by your lease - so what does that say?

HampshireH

I would also say it's wrong too and agree with the above. The HA should be paying the social %.

It should be 1/18 but your lease will be where you need to start for this information. 

I expect you have cleaners and they will use the sockets / communal supply. If you have door entry / intercom that will also be electric and off the communal supply. Trades doing repairs may use a power point etc it's unlikely to be for 1 lamp in a corridor.