Massive leasehold service charge increase - advice please

[Brazen]

The management company which owns the freehold to 24 flats in our road bills us for a service charge every 6 months to pay for shared electricity, gardening, communal area cleaning etc. It's usually £590 or so. This week they sent out one for £795!

As the interest rate was 4% last year and is around 0.5% now, there's no excuse for that. I only had a pay rise of £200 last year and that's already been swallowed up and then some by increases in council tax and the like. There's a total pay freeze on this year.

My downstairs neighbour sent a letter of complaint to the management company and copied it to all residents and the consumer TV programme Watchdog. In it she analysed the breakdown of charges, which includes accountancy fees going up 50% and window cleaning going up.. wait for it... 400%!!!

I am also going to write to them and refuse to pay until something is done about it, adding that we will get a majority of flat owners to vote to change management companies if they don't comply, and that we in future will need warning and estimates from competing companies if any service providers increase charges.

Is there anything else I can do, and what legal sway can I put behind it?

[katmai]

Was any of that post in english?

"freehold"?!?

[Caliga]

Wouldn't we need to see the terms of your lease to opine?

[Brazen]

Was any of that post in english?

"freehold"?!?

You don't own the land it's built on as it's shared between all the property owners, so we lease the time we live there. Wiki explains all: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leasehold_estate

[katmai]

Was any of that post in english?

"freehold"?!?

You don't own the land it's built on as it's shared between all the property owners, so we lease the time we live there. Wiki explains all: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leasehold_estate

Ah many thanks.

[Caliga]

New Jersey has freeholders

[Brazen]

Wouldn't we need to see the terms of your lease to opine?

No

[Caliga]

Wouldn't we need to see the terms of your lease to opine?

No

Fine, I'll start making jokes about how only poors need to deal with stuff like this.

Though OTOH alot of nice subdivisions in the US have to put up with this shit now.  Of course I'd never in a million years buy a house in such a place. 

[Neil]

Might be better to talk to lawtalkers, but that does seem rather egregious.  Still, this is what happens at times like these.  Times are rough, so one had better get gouging seems to be the dominant philosophy for just about everyone.

[Brazen]

Might be better to talk to lawtalkers, but that does seem rather egregious.  Still, this is what happens at times like these.  Times are rough, so one had better get gouging seems to be the dominant philosophy for just about everyone.

On the other hand, times are touch for the management companies too, and if we were to get a majority of owners behind us, there's the possibility we could change to another.

[Martinus]

Was any of that post in english?

"freehold"?!?

It means she has to provide 10 knights and 50 auxiliaries for 6 weeks each year if her lord calls on her.

[Martinus]

Well, first I'd check your contract if they can do this at all.

If it turns out they can, you could try getting help from some consumer organization, however I have no idea if EU-wide consumer regulations apply in the UK (I know your government suspended a bunch of stuff with respect to labour law, for example).

[Malthus]

Was any of that post in english?

"freehold"?!?

It means she has to provide 10 knights and 50 auxiliaries for 6 weeks each year if her lord calls on her.

No wonder she is soft on the Welsh. Less calls from the Marcher Lords.