Category: The Buzz

South Somerset District Council has recently launched its own private company, Elleston, to provide maintenance services on privately owned estates. They justify this on the grounds of better quality and value for money together with an income for the council in terms of a projected £2.2M over two years. Talk about adding insult to injury for home owners! Councils aid the creation of privately owned estates during planning – they definitely could do more to discourage developers from implementing it, and they refuse to countenance compensating the estate dwellers for their total funding of the maintenance of designated public open space. No wonder residents are hopping mad!

Continue reading “Council Joins Fleecehold Exploits”

But with a serious message about the fundamental unfairness of estate charges on new housing estates. These areas should be adopted by the council, but developers will not volunteer for this when it saves them so much money in construction costs and provides a nice little earner for their friends in property management.

We love that the film makers are also highlighting the arbitrary nature of who pays and who doesn’t AND the fact that estate charges affect leasehold as well as “freehold” properties. Thanks to Chris and Paul for sharing. Enjoy!!!

Many of us who are unwittingly trapped in the private estate model have observed what amounts to a conspiracy of silence over the true risks of the rent charge. It involves the developers, councils and property industry as a whole, but also those very many homebuyers who hope that by keeping quiet, the problem will just disappear! HorNet have taken some flak for daring to talk about it, but at the end of the day it is the mortgage lenders concerned to protect their investment who are exposing the secret.

Continue reading “The Cat is Out of the Bag!”