Following up the Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation story of Hanover losing £500,000 over the SmartSource Water scandal, it now emerges that Housing 21 lost £250,000. Inside Housing, the newspaper for social housing providers, says SmartSource Water was like a “pyramid scheme” which has left several housing associations among creditors facing millions of pounds of […]
Archives for August 2014
Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation veteran wins another £5,000 off Tchenguiz
August 22, 2014 By
Battle-scared Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation veteran Norman Greed has pulled off another coup for residents at Eddington Court: a £5,000 repayment on insurance commissions from the Tchenguiz Family Trust. In June Mr Greed, a director of the Eddington Court RTM claimed £10,000 on past insurance commissions to Kingsborough and Oval.
Beyond belief: price-fixing cheat Glyn Jackson is – AGAIN! – back at Peverel sites
August 21, 2014 By
Eight months after the Office of Fair Trading revealed the Cirrus collusive tendering scandal, scamming contractor Glyn Jackson is again working on retirement sites managed by Peverel. Glyn Jackson, whose company did not pay an OFT fine of £35,700 after going into liquidation, is this week installing similar electronic systems with a new company at the Adelphi […]
The Peverel / Cirrus price-fixing story so far:
August 21, 2014 By
The Peverel / Cirrus price-fixing story so far: – 2005 to 2009 Peverel cheats pensioners at 65 site by installing Cirrus equipment through bogus tendering – Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation alerts police, SFO and OFT, and The Times publishes article on December 4 2009 – But Office of Fair Trading gives Peverel “leniency” for […]
McCarthy and Stone reform sublet fees after discussions with Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation
August 18, 2014 By
Following discussions with Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation, McCarthy and Stone is dropping the one per cent contingency fund contribution that has to be paid every time a flat is rented out. It is replacing the sublet fees, which are a percentage of either the purchase price or market value of a flat, with a one-off […]
Why was a new lease issued to Peverel on a house manager’s flat, when the residents’ leases say this should not be done?
August 15, 2014 By
The issue of the ownership of the house manager’s flat at Mere Court, Knutsford, has again been raised, this time with the Land Registry. Alex Ellison, whose mother lives at the site, wrote explaining that all the leases at Mere Court (registered under the freehold title of CH261040) were created 20 years ago. In all […]
DCLG leasehold team issue raft of improvements
August 13, 2014 By
Retirement exit fees may get the chop, at last! The new DCLG leasehold team, with whom Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation / LKP has been working closely, yesterday announced a range of measures in addition to “Florrie’s Law” (see LKP) and acceptance that the residential leasehold sector is far larger than was previously thought. They […]
Florrie’s Law brings new £15,000 cap on repair bills for council leaseholders
August 13, 2014 By
The so-called Florrie’s Law introduces a new £15,000 cap on repair bills for local authority leaseholders and will come into force this week. Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles vowed to introduce the cap after a 93-year-old constituent was landed with a £50,000 bill by her local authority for roof repairs.
Leasehold sector is 63% larger than anyone thought, says DCLG – accepting LKP figures
August 13, 2014 By
Following consideration of LKP data, the government has today accepted that that the leasehold sector is far larger than was thought: there are 4.1 million leasehold properties in the private sector in England. This is a 63 per cent increase on previous estimates of 2.5 million.
Hanover housing association faces mutiny at Leonard Hackett Court
August 1, 2014 By
– House manager’s flat sold for £105,000, with £15,000 paid into reserve fund – Unexplained ‘goodwill payments’ over management disputes – Hanover addresses disastrous £500,000 loss in Smartsource Water – Former executives say ‘it wasn’t our fault’ – Grumbling over exclusive Hurlingham Club beano for Hanover staff Residents at Leonard Hackett Court, in Bournemouth, […]
Competition and Markets Authority issues update on leasehold study
August 1, 2014 By
… But it wants further feedback, so let them have it! … Oh, and you are all happier than those in non-retirement flats! The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has today issued an update on its market study (see below) into the provision of residential property management services in England and Wales. LKP / Campaign […]
ARHM’s pathetic response to the Peverel / Cirrus scandal
August 1, 2014 By
… while “under review”, Cirrus sponsors the ARHM summer conference and is doled out generous contracts In the club: Richard Wheeldon, ARHM vice chair, part of the Cirrus review team and an executive of Housing and Care 21 housing association. It handed out a bumper contract to Cirrus in February, two months after the OFT […]
