Q: 101 apartments in this retirement village are centrally heated by our RSL and costs are included in our service charges. In the first 10 months of occupation (June 2014 to March 2015) we were charged almost £90,000 for the supply of gas. On investigation, we discovered that there are no meter readings to justify …
Q: We purchased the freehold for our five blocks and 36 maisonettes, in February 2002. Every maisonette owner received one equal share in the company. Since incorporation, a volunteer Board of Directors is dealing and managing all maintenance and administrative work. We the present Board of Directors discussed and agreed in a recent meeting that …
Q: We made a complaint to the Solicitors Regulation Authority who did not consider taking any further action. Our complaint was twofold in that a local solicitor acting for the buyer and seller of a flat in our block allowed completion of the sale in January 2017 before obtaining authority from the Ground Landlord to …
Q: Who is responsible for the maintenance of the smoke alarms in each flat? We fully accept responsibility for the smoke alarms in the communal areas. Each flat has an individual meter box on the outside wall, the management company paints the outside of the boxes, but when broken who should stand the cost of …
Q: Since our inception over five years ago, we have regularly carried out weekly fire alarm tests and monthly emergency lighting tests, recording the results These are in addition to the normal servicing requirements which are in place for both. Recently, in our enquiries regarding a managing agent, an assertion was made that these need …
Q: We own the freehold of a block containing eight flats. The owner/residents of the flats own the company. We have recently taken control of the company. We have decided to continue paying the same maintenance charge we paid when we employed an agent. This means that our informal Roof Fund will increase by an …
Q: We carefully read your Newsletters and it is our first port of call whenever a new matter arises. However we live in a very volatile age and what might be correct procedure this week may not be available in the following one. This time it is a chronic (9 months) dispute between neighbours. It …
Q: I am the secretary of our residents association. Currently there is an amount in the service charge to go to a reserve fund, but, in the first year, it barely covers cost incurred. We have just received a long term maintenance plan (LTMP) from the managing agent and that would need the annual reserve …
Q: I ask a question about the level of VAT chargeable when a flat roof replacement is carried out and includes insulation. It would appear there is contradictory advice whether this should be 5 per cent or 20 per cent. FPRA Hon Consultant Gordon Whelan replies: It depends. The reduced rate of 5 per cent …
Q: Since taking over the day to day management of our block from agents we have become increasingly aware of some of the finer points of the lease between the freeholder and ourselves in respect of the ’common’ areas and of the lease between the freeholder and individual apartment lessees, which of course includes ourselves. …