Author: admin

We have heard from our friends in the Unhappy Homeowners Against Greenbelt Group that there are two recent cases where judges at the small claims courts have been convinced by the evidence of lack of service.

They directed Greenbelt to a higher court mainly because they have understood the full picture including the fact that other home owners would then have to pay more (unless they took action to have their charges reduced).

Congratulation to the Greenbelt victims who have shown dogged persistence in successfully opposing unreasonable charges.

What does it mean for everyone else? It is a huge step away from the small claims courts being used to force payment of unreasonable or disputed charges. To defend yourself you must have good evidence.  We understand that covenants with Greenbelt do not include a rent charge, so those home owners who are subject to this beware of the right of re-entry. This disproportionate remedy is still on the statute books and means that you can have your freehold taken from you if you don’t pay up. We are fighting to have this law amended.

If it is not so easy to bully people into paying unreasonable and unjustified estate charges, the management companies will have to start to justify the costs they rack up.

We now have over 3000 members!

Issues reported and discussed by members over the last month include:

• Several prospective new build purchaser have walked away when they found out about unregulated estate maintenance charges.
• One member reports difficulties after the builder owned management company went bust. A Carillionesque sign of things to come? Certainly a long term risk for this form of privatisation of public open spaces.
• More and more examples are being reported of home owners being unable to find out exactly what they are paying for. Management companies simply ignore or refuse to answer requests for detailed a breakdown of costs incurred.
• We have heard of several instances of huge obstacles being put in the way of residents who wish to manage the company themselves, even when their legal documents say they can!
• HorNets are still working away on their MPs, highlighting the unfairness of the private estate model, and the complete lack of any effective regulatory mechanism to prevent the large and unjustified increase in charges which many face in addition to rises in council tax.

Every vote counts! Please sign this petition and get all your friends, family and neighbours to help. We know there are probably about 1 million households on private estates – so we could easily reach the target of 100,000 signatures. This important petition is asking the government to tackle the fundamental unfairness of estate dwellers funding the maintenance of public open spaces, which should be publicly owned and maintained.