Colin Dennard, 71, had always been an owner of freehold houses, so he was astonished at how the charges mounted up at his 28-year-old son’s £160,000 leasehold flat in a block of only ten at Bournemouth.
The development, called the Bays, had developers Lakeside Developments as the landlords with Trust Property Management as the managing agents. Both are owned by David Glass, about whom there are numerous lamentations on the web.
The service charges were £900 a year, but quickly other charges were loaded on. Last year he used a Guildford based RTM specialist and one immediate result has been a cut in insurance costs from £2,090 a year to £750. “These rip-off charges just go on and on,” says Colin. “I have always owned freehold houses so had no idea how easy it was for these operators to screw leaseholders for ever more money. It is only when they come across a tough old b…d like me that they are stopped.”
In one LVT action Colin deeply regrets that a week before the hearing the landlord wanted to settle, but the deal came with a confidentiality agreement. “Regrettably I signed this, which was very cowardly.”
Now Colin is helping four neighbours with the same landlord and managing agent achieve right to manage as they have been presented with a £10,686 bill for ‘necessary’ works. This also involved a £2,000 fee for surveyors, owned by the company. “I used to run the Carlton Hotel in Cannes and the Meurice in Paris. I know what managing a very difficult property entails. You don’t need to start appointing surveyors – especially ones the landlord owns. These people just loading charges for their own gain.”
Lakeside Developments owns the freeholds of 750 flats.
NOTE: These confidentiality clauses should not be taken seriously at all. At St Georges Wharf, where the tenants won a record £1 million settlement, no one would speak in fear of not getting their cheques. In fact, the chief executive of Berkeley Group, who was actually signing them, happily discussed the issue and apologised for the awful practices at St George’s – where Peverel was the managing agent.
Related posts:
Benjamin Mire ‘resigns’ from property tribunal after complaints
London Assembly damns property management racket
Pensioner in £3,500 LVT win complains that managing agent sits on tribunal panel
Managing agent Benjamin Mire quit from property tribunal before he was sacked … BUT his company is still up for a string of industry awards
I’m presently having problems with Lakeside developments and my lease regarding subletting, I have been told by my solicitor that there is enough evidence in the letters I have received to mount a case.