Leasehold Charges 2010/2011 - YO YO charges

So, this year's charge is lower than last year's. That just means you paid too much last year. Remember you couldn't afford a holiday last year? This year you might pay off a bit of the overdraft and take two weeks off rather than just one. Is this fair?

The point is, no one can budget sensibly. Tax operates in a similar way, backdated and paid in advance, though you wouldn't notice the similarity if you weren't self employed or running a business. Many leaseholders will be on a fixed income, and some are now pensioners. Not knowing what they will be asked to pay from one year to the next is unreasonable. At least they know where they are with Council Tax. It will go up or stay the same.

Other bills, such as Utilities, rarely yo-yo in this way. When they go up, you try to cut back on your useage. If you have paid too much you can reclaim it at any time. No such facility with Lewisham Homes. You can't control their spending.

This is Holden charges over 10 years (yours may well have a different pattern depending on what dodgy repairs they did on your block):

2000  *           (Management up 7%, Caretaking up 7%, Grounds Maintenance no change)

2001 – 18%  (Management no change, Caretaking up 10%, Grounds down 43%)

2002 + 12%  (Management up 13%, Caretaking up 6%, Grounds up 61%)

2003 – 14%  (Management down 23%, Caretaking down 20%, Grounds down 22%)

2004 + 7%  (Management up 19%, Caretaking up 6%, Grounds up 10%)

2005 + 78%  (Management up 11%, Caretaking up 30%, Grounds up 15%)

2006 + 1%  (Management up 10%, Caretaking up 6%, Grounds up 14%)

------------------Lewisham Homes takes over Jan 2007 ---------------------

2007 + 30% (Management up 19%, Caretaking up 4%, Grounds up 14%)

2008 – 2%  (Management up 30%, Caretaking up 6%, Grounds up 45%)

-------Lewisham Homes introduces Flat Rate management charge-------- 

2009 + 41% (Management up 86%, Caretaking down 11%, Grounds up 224%)

2010 – 25% (Management up 2%, Caretaking no change, Grounds down 8%)

Down 25%? Compared to 2006 (before Lewisham Homes) this is a bearable 6% increase. But it's meaningless. In between they have creamed off 14%, and raised the stakes by 41% in 2009. And by applying varying rates to every block that should be charged the same for everything (except building repairs perhaps), we will all tell different stories. Smaller blocks have a worse story to tell.

Now they predict spending the same in 2010-11 on our block as they do Farrer House (£2500), smaller by 28 flats, yet they predict only spending £1350 on Castell, smaller by only 23 flats. What is wrong with Farrer? Surely they should be told what is wrong with their building? Could it be based on roof and drain spending which they have failed to solve by being completely useless or have the figures been plucked from thin air yet again?

* can't find figures from 1999 to compare.