Flat owners ‘seething’ at £8.8k a year service fee
BBCFlat owners set to be hit with a 249% increase in service charges have said they are “seething” about the hike that they say “none of us can afford”.
Management company Onward Homes is set to raise the fee from £210 to £733 a month for leaseholders at the Canalside apartment block off Water Street in Radcliffe, Manchester.
Jessica, who bought a flat there in 2007, said the she was “flabbergasted” by the hike, due to come into effect in April, adding: “They’re asking for more than what we get rent.”
A spokeswoman for the management company said the hike was needed for “essential” maintenance to balconies.
There are 60 flats at the three-block complex, built in 2007, with Onward Homes receiving the service charges to pay for things like building improvements and maintenance.
Leaseholders told BBC Radio Manchester the wood used to build the balconies had started to rot in 2021, and though the issued had been flagged to the company, nothing had been done.
Onward Homes says it plans to hold a “thorough tender exercise” for the repairs to get value for money, alongside a “full consultation” with leaseholders before work beings, the spokeswoman said.
She added: “We appreciate that these rises are significant and are here to help anyone that is concerned about this.”
Jessica added: “Everybody else is feeling the same way, it’s just unrealistic, it’s a joke.
“Tenants are worried about rent increases, but we couldn’t do that, we couldn’t just double their rent, what do Onward expect?”
Leaseholder Judy Hurst said she was “seething” after receiving a letter on Saturday to warn of the hike, set to be introduced in April.
‘Enough is enough’
A number of the leaseholders have now banded together to explore whether they can take over the running of the building by invoking a legal right known as right-to-manage.
Onward Homes is set to meet residents at a meeting in March to discuss the change in charges.
Some leaseholders have complained about the condition of the building for years, accusing the management company of neglecting to take care of the site.
Several have said they would refuse to pay the new charge and would instead continue to pay the current fee.
“Enough is enough, it’s time we took some action,” Jessica added.
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