Annual service charge on woman's one bed flat to rise from £4,000 to £16,000 a year from Monday!

[shlomo]

3 minutes ago, Orb said:

Could do, but it's always a gamble as to what's between their legs. 

[Orb]

1 minute ago, shlomo said:

I wonder if it's pronoun is as artificial as the (AI generated) image. 

[Dweller]

12 hours ago, dirtysteve said:

I guess they’ve never heard of Right To Manage 🙄 It’s not difficult to get. I lived in a flat from 2007 for ten years and we did it then when the management were useless and ripping us off. It opens a whole load of new problems but can get costs down to a more sensible rip off level. We self managed for 4 years but that’s a PITA unless you have good honest volunteers so then we used our RTM to choose a management company of our own. We soon realised they’re all bent though. Basically all management companies work for their own interests obviously. They’re not managing your building out of the goodness of their hearts. So you will always get ripped off. But being able to chose and change them makes costs much lower than being at the whim of a freeholder ran management company. I own a house now which is obviously better but some days I miss getting ripped off but knowing the gardening and window cleaning etc ain’t my concern. I’d NEVER go back to leasehold though. 

These stories are desperate. I am wondering how right to manage works for shared ownership. Looked it up and doesn't sound straightforward. 

https://nearlylegal.co.uk/2023/05/shared-ownership-and-right-to-manage/#:~:text=Shared ownership leaseholders are – assuming,seek the right to manage.

We have been stung with leasehold and with a freehold property on a modern 'managed' housing estate where the management company did NOTHING however  freehold properties don't have the same right to manage. The  estate in the end did wrestle the management from the management company. 

Now we have neighbours from hell trouble makes tiny house living in the middle of a large field look very enticing. 

 

[NoHPCinTheUK]

17 hours ago, 70PC said:

This is theft, no other word for it. The sale value of flat will also be destroyed. 

And the freeholder couldn’t care less. He will still collect the ground rent and service charge for each of those flats. 
 

The problem stands with the leaseholder and banks. 
 

One of the greatest ? here in Britain is why Banks still underwrite this business where they take all the risks on board and there is another party who is always winning, whatever the outcome of the bet. 

[Dweller]

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/mar/30/outrage-as-residents-in-englands-affordable-housing-forced-to-pay-thousands-of-pounds-extra-in-service-charge

Outrage as residents in England’s ‘affordable’ housing forced to pay thousands of pounds extra in service charge

 

Many residents who bought shared-ownership properties built as affordable homes have been sent bills in recent weeks with increases of more than 40%. Some say they are unable to sell the properties having now been lumbered with “extortionate” charges and no cap on future increases. More than 1,000 people across the country are now threatening to refuse to pay.

In most cases analysed by the Observer, residents say they have not been given detailed evidence to support the sharp rise in service charges. Many in shared-ownership homes say service charges are now higher than their rents, with one expert warning a parliamentary inquiry that the rises are “often uncontrollable”.....

Residents in shared-property homes in Marson apartments, part of the £2.5bn Elephant Park regeneration project near Elephant and Castle, south London, have been told they face service charge increases of nearly 40%.

The charges include paying towards the running costs of public amenities delivered by developer Lendlease, including a park and a tree house, a community space in the park with a cafe, and public roof terrace.

...................................................................

WTF affordable /shared ownership paying towards the costs of public amenities couldn't make it up could you !! 

 

[Lagarde's Drift]

8 hours ago, Dweller said:

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/mar/30/outrage-as-residents-in-englands-affordable-housing-forced-to-pay-thousands-of-pounds-extra-in-service-charge

Outrage as residents in England’s ‘affordable’ housing forced to pay thousands of pounds extra in service charge

 

Many residents who bought shared-ownership properties built as affordable homes have been sent bills in recent weeks with increases of more than 40%. Some say they are unable to sell the properties having now been lumbered with “extortionate” charges and no cap on future increases. More than 1,000 people across the country are now threatening to refuse to pay.

In most cases analysed by the Observer, residents say they have not been given detailed evidence to support the sharp rise in service charges. Many in shared-ownership homes say service charges are now higher than their rents, with one expert warning a parliamentary inquiry that the rises are “often uncontrollable”.....

Residents in shared-property homes in Marson apartments, part of the £2.5bn Elephant Park regeneration project near Elephant and Castle, south London, have been told they face service charge increases of nearly 40%.

The charges include paying towards the running costs of public amenities delivered by developer Lendlease, including a park and a tree house, a community space in the park with a cafe, and public roof terrace.

...................................................................

WTF affordable /shared ownership paying towards the costs of public amenities couldn't make it up could you !! 

 

Yah not just flats but also houses even if fully freehold and owned still subject to maintenance fees for their local mini park etc as councils have refused to adopt.

[shlomo]

12 minutes ago, Lagarde's Drift said:

Yah not just flats but also houses even if fully freehold and owned still subject to maintenance fees for their local mini park etc as councils have refused to adopt.

Amada Teruel Sanchez, 36, and partner José Mellado, 47, now face a total annual charge of £5,633. Mellado said: “They never told us we would be paying these charges. It’s a joke.”

Michelle Furber, 52, a primary school teacher and single mother living in Brighton, said her service charge in her affordable home, a shared-ownership property, had increased from £125 a month when she moved in to £417 a month from 1 April, an increase of 234%. She also faces a demand for £2,221 to help cover a deficit in the 2022-23 budget.

[70PC]

5 minutes ago, Lagarde's Drift said:

Yah not just flats but also houses even if fully freehold and owned still subject to maintenance fees for their local mini park etc as councils have refused to adopt.

The state has been offloading responsibility for the things we assumed they were levying taxes for. People are increasingly dependent on private dentists and medical services. I have not seen a policeman on the street near us in 8 years. Shoplifting no longer seems to be a police matter. The list goes on.   

[Si1]

38 minutes ago, 70PC said:

The state has been offloading responsibility for the things we assumed they were levying taxes for. People are increasingly dependent on private dentists and medical services. I have not seen a policeman on the street near us in 8 years. Shoplifting no longer seems to be a police matter. The list goes on.   

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/04/01/what-have-fourteen-years-of-conservative-rule-done-to-britain

 

Edited March 31 by Si1

[Si1]

"

November, 2018, Philip Alston, the U.N.’s special rapporteur on extreme poverty, toured the U.K. When we spoke, he recalled a strong sense of denial, or ignorance, among British politicians about the consequences of their decisions. “There was a disconnect between the world and what senior ministers wanted to believe,” he said.

The fall in Britain’s living standards isn’t easy for anyone to talk about, least of all Conservatives. The Resolution Foundation, which studies the lives of people with low and middle incomes, is chaired by David Willetts, a former minister in Cameron’s government. Willetts is a tall, genial man, who worked for Margaret Thatcher’s policy unit in the eighties. His nickname in the Party was Two Brains. “What I say to Tories now is, Look, we are behind for various reasons,” Willetts said, carefully. “You can argue about it. But our household incomes are clearly lower than France or Germany or the Netherlands.” Part of the problem, Willetts explained, was that Britain’s richest twenty per cent had largely been spared the effects of the past fourteen years—and that made it genuinely difficult for them to comprehend the damage. “We are all O.K.,” he said. “The burden of adjustment has almost entirely been borne by the less affluent half of the British population.”"

[Dweller]

7 hours ago, Lagarde's Drift said:

Yah not just flats but also houses even if fully freehold and owned still subject to maintenance fees for their local mini park etc as councils have refused to adopt.

Absolutely. We were in that position in a freehold new build property where a huge wall had been built supporting the A303 without the consent of Highways or Planning! The developer was then trying to hold the residents liable for the wall which led to the Council refusing to adopt the road so the Council wouldn't finish the road even though there was a S38 bond on it and the developer had refused to do so.  There was also what was supposed to be a recreational open space (which in the end turned out to be a mound that nobody could play on ) which the residents also had to pay to maintain and a boundary strip/hedge which the developer had kept in order to make money should the next field ever get sold. The management company did NOTHING other than putting up management fees every year and freeholders don't have the same rights as leaseholds to take over the management. Took years of dispute and being threatened with Court then taken to Court . The residents did finally take over the management but never got the Council /Highways to take ANY responsibility. There are going to be massive issues in the future with these new build estates where roads/drains etc have never been adopted and never been built to standard and the residents will be liable let alone the quality of a new build property :O( 

 

[Trampa501]

7 hours ago, Si1 said:

"

November, 2018, Philip Alston, the U.N.’s special rapporteur on extreme poverty, toured the U.K. When we spoke, he recalled a strong sense of denial, or ignorance, among British politicians about the consequences of their decisions. “There was a disconnect between the world and what senior ministers wanted to believe,” he said.

The fall in Britain’s living standards isn’t easy for anyone to talk about, least of all Conservatives. The Resolution Foundation, which studies the lives of people with low and middle incomes, is chaired by David Willetts, a former minister in Cameron’s government. Willetts is a tall, genial man, who worked for Margaret Thatcher’s policy unit in the eighties. His nickname in the Party was Two Brains. “What I say to Tories now is, Look, we are behind for various reasons,” Willetts said, carefully. “You can argue about it. But our household incomes are clearly lower than France or Germany or the Netherlands.” Part of the problem, Willetts explained, was that Britain’s richest twenty per cent had largely been spared the effects of the past fourteen years—and that made it genuinely difficult for them to comprehend the damage. “We are all O.K.,” he said. “The burden of adjustment has almost entirely been borne by the less affluent half of the British population.”"

Quote

“You can argue about it. But our household incomes are clearly lower than France or Germany or the Netherlands.” 

But we're told by the usual anti-Euro crowd here that Germany's economy is toast. If they are right, could it just be they're following our economy over the cliff-edge a bit later, and we're all doomed?

[Stewy]

14 hours ago, Trampa501 said:

But we're told by the usual anti-Euro crowd here that Germany's economy is toast. If they are right, could it just be they're following our economy over the cliff-edge a bit later, and we're all doomed?

We're not doomed and 2024 is shaping up to be a great year. 🌱

Energy prices crumbling https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68674244

Wages ramping for millions https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68678814

Things are looking very bright. 🌞

[Tony_Teacake]

1 hour ago, Stewy said:

Things are looking very bright. 🌞

That's right the futures bright the futures orange 🍊 

What's on the agenda today for our in house olympian is it pull ups with a big weight chained around you or is it a swim in the river tees 🤣

Edited April 1 by Tony_Teacake

[MARTINX9]

On 31/03/2024 at 00:40, Dweller said:

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/mar/30/outrage-as-residents-in-englands-affordable-housing-forced-to-pay-thousands-of-pounds-extra-in-service-charge

Outrage as residents in England’s ‘affordable’ housing forced to pay thousands of pounds extra in service charge

 

Many residents who bought shared-ownership properties built as affordable homes have been sent bills in recent weeks with increases of more than 40%. Some say they are unable to sell the properties having now been lumbered with “extortionate” charges and no cap on future increases. More than 1,000 people across the country are now threatening to refuse to pay.

In most cases analysed by the Observer, residents say they have not been given detailed evidence to support the sharp rise in service charges. Many in shared-ownership homes say service charges are now higher than their rents, with one expert warning a parliamentary inquiry that the rises are “often uncontrollable”.....

Residents in shared-property homes in Marson apartments, part of the £2.5bn Elephant Park regeneration project near Elephant and Castle, south London, have been told they face service charge increases of nearly 40%.

The charges include paying towards the running costs of public amenities delivered by developer Lendlease, including a park and a tree house, a community space in the park with a cafe, and public roof terrace.

...................................................................

WTF affordable /shared ownership paying towards the costs of public amenities couldn't make it up could you !! 

 

How much does it cost to build a 'tree house' - and how much admin/commission does the management company add on top?!

[Dyson Fury]

On 31/03/2024 at 11:20, Si1 said:

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/04/01/what-have-fourteen-years-of-conservative-rule-done-to-britain

 

That was an interesting read.  I'd like to see a similar article about the USA, based on a reporter's visit to a traditional manufacturing town like Detroit, or a prosperous city like San Francisco as it collapses into a drugs hell-hole, and considering the effect of Democrat Presidency for 11 of the past 15 years.

Quote

...basic truths about Britain’s experience since 2010. The first is that the country has suffered grievously. These have been years of loss and waste. The U.K. has yet to recover from the financial crisis that began in 2008. According to one estimate, the average worker is now fourteen thousand pounds worse off per year than if earnings had continued to rise at pre-crisis rates—it is the worst period for wage growth since the Napoleonic Wars. 

Can that even possibly be true?  £14000 per year is maybe one-third of the average wage.   Even over 16 years, surely it's impossible for average earnings to have been depressed by a factor of one-third, unless they are comparing to some hypothetical utopian doppelganger economy.

Anyway, I was distracted by the cartoons in the middle of the article, and followed the link to the cartoon page.  New Yorker cartoons are legendarily unfunny, but I did find this one:

 

 

The caption (which won't copy) is "we will show you pictures of houses that you could have afforded if the Fed had held interest rates at 2018 levels"

Edited April 1 by Dyson Fury
no caption!

[Si1]

2 hours ago, Dyson Fury said:

That was an interesting read.  I'd like to see a similar article about the USA, based on a reporter's visit to a traditional manufacturing town like Detroit, or a prosperous city like San Francisco as it collapses into a drugs hell-hole, and considering the effect of Democrat Presidency for 11 of the past 15 years.

 

 

I look forward to Donald Trump storming into power to rescue Murica from the libruls, riding in on a Harley with Jesus in the sidecar and Stormy Daniels on his lap.

[NoHPCinTheUK]

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/146300762#/?channel=RES_BUY
 

35k!!! 

[RentingForever]

Just now, NoHPCinTheUK said:

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/146300762#/?channel=RES_BUY
 

35k!!! 

No wonder she looks so glum in the portrait over the sofa!

[NoHPCinTheUK]

Just now, RentingForever said:

No wonder she looks so glum in the portrait over the sofa!

Lol 

OK it’s prime london, ok it s a big flat (albeit quite an old one, the building must be around 50y). 

But for our lords sake, they must be collecting 200k pa and they use the money to do what exactly? There’s no pool, no gym maybe a 24h portier 

People who pay these sums are plain stupid. I cannot find another definition for them. 

[Dweller]

48 minutes ago, NoHPCinTheUK said:

Lol 

OK it’s prime london, ok it s a big flat (albeit quite an old one, the building must be around 50y). 

But for our lords sake, they must be collecting 200k pa and they use the money to do what exactly? There’s no pool, no gym maybe a 24h portier 

People who pay these sums are plain stupid. I cannot find another definition for them. 

Loaded ...

[Dweller]

54 minutes ago, NoHPCinTheUK said:

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/146300762#/?channel=RES_BUY
 

35k!!! 

Only suitable for small people given the location of the loo! 

 

[Orb]

Picture 5 looks like a screenshot from that grotty council flat in A Clockwork Orange lol. 

[yodigo]

On 29/03/2024 at 20:37, dirtysteve said:

I guess they’ve never heard of Right To Manage 🙄

Could they though?? As they only "own" 30%, the HA owns 70%. Who would have the authority to do this? I don't know the answer.

Don't the council pay the service charge if you're unemployed? Think I read that somewhere, but it was ages ago. Could be the way to go if they're really desperate, ask to be made redundant?

[erat_forte]

Quote

Poor woman and her partner own a 30 per cent share of a one bed flat in Kings Cross

Correct me if I am wrong but they don't actually own a share in anything. They just have a massive and arcane contractual liability and a large debt, and the right to reside in the flat as long as they pay the various fees and charges on time.