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kingswells.guest
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| 03 Jun 2005 10:27:26 |
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| I have been made aware of the current situation regarding issues surrounding property management services in the Kingswell area. I live in the city centre, am a resident in a residents committe, with some experience in this matter and would like to offer my own personal experience in this matter for your Kingswells residents:
My development was built by Stewart Milne Homes who appointed Peverel as their factors, which appears to be a standard contactural arrangement that they had in previous years. After a year or two, our residents quickly realised that Peverel offered a very substandard service (shame on SMH contracts dept). Our residents committee therefore looked into our title deeds and took some legal advice. In our case, we required a majority vote to dismiss our factors and appoint a new one. The vote was something like 96 percent to dismiss Peverel.
We also looked into whether or not we could management services ourselves, which we quickly dismissed as that is not practical. We choose to appoint Property Managment Company, who in the last two years in my opinion have been far better than Peverel. PMC are not perfect but I feel are a genuine company. On occassions PMC have been excellent in some matters but very very slow on other matters, lately their sevice has started to slip.
We do have outstanding bills from Peverel, and our committee had severel meetings with them to ensure that we would pay what is fair for the service offered. Their response has been limited and unprofessional, their own response seems to be a threat: "it's in your deeds and if you don't pay we'll take you to court". My personal position is that I have sufficient evidence to in my opinion to justify not paying for services I have not received. I have invited them to take me to court, they have not done so.
My key advice to you is this:
1. Trying to manage your own services is a no-goer as you will find some residents simply will not pay up. Best appoint a factor.
2. Pay Peverel what you consider to be what you have received in service/charges. If you were to go to a hairdresser, and ask for a haircut costing £20, then the hairdresser snips a single hair then goes "£20 please," what would you do?, even if they said "well I did cut your hair, if you don't pay up I'll take you to court". Call their bluff and have your day in court. I have a number of documents which I think provides very strong evidence that they were ripping off my development. For example, they told us that the insurance they got for us was the best deal. It turns out that the Insurance broker they used for us (Gainsborough, Kingsborough, something like that) is actually part of the Peverel group of companies, and that they receive a commmission on the premium. When PMC took over they got us the exact same policy, with the exact same insurer, but it cost us far less as PMC charged us what the inurer was charging them. If you ask Peverel for full doucumentation re your bills, you will find they will not supply it to you, for this very reason, they have something to hide.
3. If you do want to use PMC, ensure that you have something in writing to specify exactly the level of service that you expect to pay for. Bear in mind they are a business and entitled to make a profit from you.
4. Do not be naive and expect fellow residents to share you sense of neighbourly spirit, For every decent resident that would pay up quickly, you will find one who won't. Do not try to run the factoring services yourself , get a company in.
5. If you don't have a factor, your development will fall very quickly into disrepair, which will affect your house prices.
6. If you disagree with the idea of having a factor, or did not know you would be expected to pay for one, to be frank that's your fault and your own solicitors fault as it's in you deeds. Harse, but true I'm afraid. Sorry.
Lastly, I am happy to share my experiences here to benefit your comminity, but I will not identify myself , and that includes the local press.
Good luck!
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kingswells.guest
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| 06 Jun 2005 22:04:42 |
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| at long last some one who knows what they are talking about. |
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kingswells.guest
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| 08 Jun 2005 11:23:18 |
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| I don't have any particular concerns about who does the work. I know I'm not going to as:
a) don't have the time
b) don't think the effort is worth it to save myself £50/year
Obviously I'm more than happy if someone else is going to do all the work to save me £50 a year, but I'll not be crying if it doesn't happen. Just being honest here; I'm sure a lot of people think like this too.
One question I do have:
If an association is going to be set up, what right do the PMC have to be asking us questions about our thoughts prior to any contract being awarded. Surely they would be expected to tender, and any information they gain through this questionnaire they have sent should be shared with all companies invited to tender? I can't see why PMC have any right to be asking for this information. |
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kingswells.guest
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| 08 Jun 2005 13:58:20 |
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| Hi, I posted the original message, and have called myself "A" for identification.
A question asked was:
"If an association is going to be set up, what right do the PMC have to be asking us questions about our thoughts prior to any contract being awarded. Surely they would be expected to tender, and any information they gain through this questionnaire they have sent should be shared with all companies invited to tender? I can't see why PMC have any right to be asking for this information."
I don't really follow what is being asked here to be honest. Youll have to have an association set up, with some form of residents representatives so that the factors can deal with, that makes much more sense. I don't know what PMC have been asking, but it sounds like they have sent out a questionairre? Presumibly this is to find out what services the residents need, so they can quote for those services, which would appear to be good customer services.
I suggest:
1. Residents Association acting on behalf of residents establish what services they want from factor
2. Ask factor companies to quote for same***
3. Report back to residents and seek vote to appoint
***ensure you ask them for a list of developments they manage and speak to residents there to establish level of service***
Regards, "A" |
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georgem
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| 08 Jun 2005 17:50:46 |
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| It would be helpful if all residents concerned read their deeds or get a solicitor to explain them.
1. We are required and have been for sometime to set up a residents association, its non-optional.
2. We are all compulsory members of the association.
3. Having spoken to Martin Rochfort (PMC) I informed him that his correspondence is inaccurate and unhelpful at this time adding to the general confusion. I asked him how his first quote for , which some people have already paid , was based on over 540 properties and now he is indicating smaller areas.
He admitted that he has no knowledge what our deeds indicate but assumed areas from a plan sent by SMH.
4. I have contacted SMH managing director and asked for a legal representative of his company to explain the deed conditions to all at the next proposed meeting.
5. I'm not advocating one way or another whether the RA should go down the self management route or appoint another factor. That is for the majority to decide!
6. If we don't get it sorted out now the £200 bill won't be far away with no control over factors. If you don't believe that figure remember some of the play parks are coming up to 7 years old , check out replacement equipment prices. |
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kingswells.guest
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| 08 Jun 2005 19:24:23 |
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| above are good examples of the problems with an RA.
smarty pants (guest) who questions the savings is not interested in the bigger picture, I suggest they take their head out of their arse & come up for some fresh air.
This year you save X next year it's XX
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kingswells.guest
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| 09 Jun 2005 05:33:28 |
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| I'm glad that someone who is so vocal is going to be taking the lead in organising everything then. Or are you? I must admit, I'm support you 100% in saving 550 x £X this year, 550 x £X next year. I'm just being honest, and like it or not, there are going to be a lot of people out there like me. I'll quite happily pay whoever is doing the job, but I would hate to think that there are going to be people out there thinking this is all a disgrace, and then we'll also have some residents who don't pay, even if it is their fellow neighbours they are leaving short. That seems far more up an arse than accepting that self management might not be the way, at least if I myself had to run it. I'd hate to think anyone was going to go and do this and expect us all to have our lawnmowers ready at 2 pm every Saturday. Based on your response, I wonder why I'm "guest"...
To add a bit of detail to my earlier post about whta the PMC have sent out. The questionnaire covers things like whether or not we support a RA (a legal requirement anyway), whether we would be active, whether we would like to self manage, whether we would like a factor, and whether we would like PMC as a factor or some other company. While you could think that this is done from the goodness of their hearts, I think £45 a house is driving them to try and get this sewn up before anyone else can get in there. The line of the questionning does not seem to help them tailor any quote, e.g. levels of maintenance envisaged etc. |
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kingswells.guest
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| 09 Jun 2005 19:44:31 |
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| From my experience the factor will fight to keep a grasp on their control of the estate, you can imagine the lucrative contract that they will have to give up. Peverel have just handed it on a plate to another one of SMH buddies, so the same level of service will just return & that’s guaranteed for sure. They will make up any excuse to try & get the residents to fight against one & another, so it’s in the best interest to form this RA now, so you can take control the factor.
If you have any problems with the present factor or level of service, who do you talk to?
Gill, Diane, John, Mary or Fred ?
& what is their response ?
At least the RA will have the faces that match the names & they are your community spirited friends & neighbours.
Of course some residents will not pay, so you start cutting & dumping the grass on a Sunday morning at 06:00 beside these offenders.
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kingswells.guest
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| 10 Jun 2005 04:07:24 |
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| I've been checking out the Kingswells forum for years now, and this factor subject just keeps going and going with the same old circular arguements. In the end nothing happens, things go quiet for a few months, then somebody decides to spin the wheel again.
S**t or get off the pot guys. |
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kingswells.guest
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| 10 Jun 2005 04:41:38 |
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| Dear 'Guest',
I disagree, i think all this combined pressure over the years helped to get Peveral
to resign rather than deal with our repeated questions.
Also now with GeorgeM's initiative we may be able to exercise more control over the estate.
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kingswells.guest
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| 10 Jun 2005 04:59:49 |
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| am going to shit on your door step |
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kingswells.guest
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| 10 Jun 2005 05:10:58 |
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| Such a puerile response Richard. That level of intelligence is probably the reason no progress is being made.
Besides you'd have to travel a long way th s**t on my doorstep. |
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kingswells.guest
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| 12 Jun 2005 15:18:41 |
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| I've read some of the past messages and found them very amusing. GeorgeM is giving up his time(along with volunteers)to try and form a residents association and most of you are whining about it. He's only asking residents in the wellside area to form a residents association to take control of the finances for ground maintnance away from the appointed factor. Surely one night to go to a meeting to discuss this point like adults won't hurt. What cost of ground maintenance next year if we remain with a factor. |
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kingswells.guest
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| 14 Jun 2005 20:00:55 |
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| Hi Colin P
I fully agree it's a very difficult task trying to raise the necessary support.
This forum is a relatively good medium, but is not as effective as the door to door.
As they say " there is non so blind that do not want to see " & I think GeorgeM is doing a splendid job & I genuinly wish him luck.
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