Freehold property with service charge?

That is a very common misconception and very far from the truth. Developers aren’t even bothering to contact local councils to see if they will adopt the land because they are already in bed with the maintenance companies. They tell homeowners the council won’t take on the land thinking they won’t question it. After years of research and reading through many TP1 documents I can confirm that it’s complete nonsense. Councils are never even approached! These companies are only in it to benefit their profits. They don’t see what they’re doing as providing a service.

This is often addressed in the planning application stage when councils make it a condition that the site will be privately managed. Many estates have landscaping and amenities that councils don’t want to be responsible for. Local CT payers would probably not want to subsidise the maintenance of all of that.

The freehold residents have very few complaints regarding the management of our development or the costs involved. In fact we all have just received a credit note for £64.12 for an underspend for the period 1st October 22 to 30 September 2023.
I do agree it is is extremely difficult to change the managing agents and that is why in my first post I recommended knocking on doors to get residents opinions re the management of the development.
To a certain extent it is a matter of luck whether you get a good or bad managing agent. When we bought our property we visited the town several times staying in a hotel. We looked at several properties not just on this development but others outside this development. We made an informed choice and have not regretted our decision. Any properties for sale on our development, and many residents are still here since 2014 when they were built, are very popular and sell quite quickly. There is another development much closer to the town centre. Unfortunately all the properties including the houses are leasehold and have service charges of around £2,000. They are very nicely designed houses but the estate agents struggle to sell them.

Our estate was built five years ago, and whilst we love where we live, we get very little for the hefty estate management fees we have to pay. The estate has yet to be adopted by the Council, and as a result, those trying to sell have really struggled. My advice to anyone buying a new house is to think very carefully before you do. More people are becoming aware of “fleecehold” and, like leasehold had a bad press will put people off buying in the future.

Reply to the comment left by Colette Jones at 10/09/2024 – 21:18
The roads on these fleecehold estates won’t be adopted by the council because they know they have not been built well, poor drainage, etc… which will involve the council in ongoing and costly maintenance.

I have four units in a student let building housing 400 students named Queenside Place in Liverpool which is managed by Urban Evolution aka Blockera.
The selective licensing fee per unit was £75 / unit , however just for applying for the licences to the Liverpool council I was charged by The management company £258 / unit ie £183 just for filling the forms and a total of £1032 for 4 units. How fair is this if the councils charge you reasonable fee, the management companies squeeze you dry.
Complete mockery of and breakdown of regulatory authorities, flouting of court orders and no accountability of the enforcement agencies. I suspect there a mafia style plunder going on the UK and all governmental agencies are in cohorts. We the leaseholders went from pillar to post to councils , TPOs, fraud units of police , first tier tribunals, high court in London yet the insite of high court orders refusal of all appeals the builders and freeholders mafia is acting with impunity with nothing achieved to the point that all have disappeared, absconded and left the building in a state where the council is now threatening to seal the building because of rodent infestation, internet and electricity, gas, shut down , no security in place , fire system broken down because of unpaid bills. This is putting the lives of 400 young children preparing for their exams in grave risk.

WHERE IS TYE GOVERNMENT, WHERE IS THE CONSTITUTION, WHERE IS THD ENFORCEMENT OF COURT ORDERS ??
WHERD ARE THE MPs WHO ARE ELECTED BY THE SAME CONSTITUENTS.
SHAMEFUL 😡🥵

Almost all new housing developments these days come with a service charge for maintaining the estate. I believe that this is because the Councils no longer routinely adopt the roads and green areas.