I am problems with the freeholder company charging exorbitantly for buildings insurance and management fees. Also, charging for bogus surveys. I want to pursue the right to manage and wonder if anyone could give me some advice.

Visit the local Citizens advice bureau: 97 Peckham High Street
London
SE15 5RS
England

Www.lease-advice.org is the website of the leasehold advisory service. It has lots of good information on leaseholder rights.

philwint Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I am problems with the freeholder company charging
> exorbitantly for buildings insurance and
> management fees. Also, charging for bogus surveys.
> I want to pursue the right to manage and wonder if
> anyone could give me some advice.


Do you get on with your fellow leaseholders? If so then it might be time to give your freeholder the boot. You'll need a decent solicitor and some cash. The fees your freeholder will want to charge you for your freedom could easily be beaten down by your legal representation and in the end you'll be quids in since there won't be fees to pay them ad infinitum.

PS I've had some experience of dealing with these scumbags before but here's a glimpse of others' stories:

[forums.moneysavingexpert.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit was december 02, 05:03pm by SpringTime.

You need the other leaseholders/ free holders on your side, so maybe start with a meeting and some suggestions of alternative arrangements

I share this freeholder for one of my properties and yes they have an awful reputation. In fact, I'd use worse language to describe them if I could. It's a cynical business model based on volume charging small fees and uplifts on the actual cost of often spurious services e.g. recently they have been cleaning our windows regularly way more than required. They have cosy arrangements with their subcontractors (assume the worst behaviour here) but biggest con is indeed the insurance which is very difficult to challenge but which is 2-3 x the typical open market rate. It's death by a thousand cuts and they are operating aggressively on the fringes of the law - which does need swift change.

I haven't had time to pursue RTM but think I'll get that moving this year and I'm more than ready for a tribunal hearing. I've yet to research a decent lawyer with experience dealing with them but the money saving expert thread above lists some contacts. Looking forward to clipping their wings and ready for the fight. Someone should run a class action....