-
It's astonishing that we live in a world of such consumer choice but managing agents are totally unregulated and so blatantly unethical. I recommend RTM - it makes dealing with them much easier. And if you can kick off RTM you can block any major works until RTM is complete and you have a proper company on side to work with you.
Just as a technical point, I didn't think Managing Agents could charge anything over £250 outside their existing service charges without following the Section 20 process? Did you get any Section 20 notifications?
ReekBlefs-
I think that a Section 20 notification was slipped into the masses of legalese paperwork we are managing to extract from this Management Company. Knowing the way they operate they will probably think they have everything watertight (they are very good at this if nothing else).
Since the service charge demands were received its the first time any of the leaseholders have had any contact with each other and it has now gone from 1 unhappy/concerned leaseholder to 8 of us now. One chap went to the management company's actual office with his concerns and was given a wad (1" thick) of the proposed plans and the tendering details. Again no layman could fully expect to understand most of it and as I said they probably think they've got it sewn up.
The Management company have agreed and set up a meeting with us next week to discuss all this and before then we are trying to get together a pre-meeting meeting to make sure we are all on the same page because there are levels of understanding among some individuals about how this stuff works.
No one has paid the excess part of this demand (paid the usual service charge though).
RTM has been suggested and someone else has started a case with the Leaseholders Advisory Service but its a bit like herding cats.
not4sale
Interesting because I/we are (there are 8 leaseholders identified now which is about 40% of block) in a similar situation.
Rubbish Management company sent out service charges 2 days before Xmas varying from 3.5k to 10k ( we would normally budget for and expect around £800/6 months).
This extra is to build up funds for extensive refurbishment that was proposed back in 2010 but never happened. Its a too long story to go into here but I have had to go through the Ombudsman Services to kick them into action over an individual issue I had regarding water ingress.
Basically they have mismanaged the 'sinking' funds and what was quoted in 2010 at 100k is now 200k . These 'corrupt landholding cocksuckers' have a history of slimy fobbing off assurances and my dealings with them is well documented.