Council major works - advice?

[woodland]

Seems my previous positive thoughts on buying ex council flats has come back to bite me. I have just received notice of compulsory works to the building that will cost each leaseholder 30,000 pounds. We have the option to pay this back over 36 months- that's ?800 a month.

Has anyone had any similar experiences and has any good advice on ensuring the tendering process was followed correctly, the contractors do the work safely. We currently have no lights at all in the stairwell. Also any advice on where we stand if they think the work needs doing but as a group of leaseholders we don't. Also any previous experiences of negotiating payments in terms of length of repayment.

I'd welcome any useful thoughts/comments . Thanks

[PeckhamRose]

PLEASE see the other thread on the same subject and the advice given therein. :D

[woodland]

Thanks - I did find the other thread - I'm in lewisham though not southwark so I googling the CAB and details of local councillors etc etc. thanks for your help :-)

[melvininthepalace]

Hello Woodland, same thing happened to me a few years back for the sum of ?23k.

I have taken out a loan with Southwark at 5% above the base rate over 25 years as it's the only way I can see of paying it back.

My advice is get together with the rest of the leaseholders and get your local MP involved.

The council will try and fleece you at every turn and are generally usless in my experience.

Good luck and don't let the b**tards get you down....

[Otta]

Can I ask what sort of building this is?

We're about to buy in to a council block on an estate, each block having 16 flats in, and your post has put the fear of God in to me!