Leaseholders in one of Manchester’s most-eye-catching apartment blocks say they are are ‘pulling their hair out’ over what they claim are ‘obscene’ management fees.
Multiple flat owners from the Skyline I say their monthly service charges exceed the £500-mark. Documents seen by the Manchester Evening News confirm these figures.
To compound matters, the owners claim that the building has maintenance issues, like scorched walls from lightbulbs.
Building managers Rendall & Rittner say they are trying ‘to keep service charges to a minimum’. They added: “At Skyline, the vast majority of ongoing costs have either remained the same or increased in line with inflation.”
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The situation means owners cannot sell their properties, they say. “I try not to think about it,” Omar Perez told the Manchester Evening News. “What really frustrates me is that I would not mind too much paying the service charge if the flats and building was pristine.
“I am paying almost £700 per month. I bought my flat four-and-a-half years ago. The seller said management were going to refurbish it. Since then, absolutely nothing has been done.
“The lightbulbs have already [scorched] the white paint black. All the walls are disgusting and so are the carpets. In many spots, especially from the elevator there’s no carpet so we are walking on the concrete. It was sold as a luxury apartment. Originally when it got built, it had a water feature outside but now it’s always full of rubbish.”
Seamus Quinn, who owns two properties and a car parking space in the building, added that he pays more in service charges in Manchester then he does in the capital.
“I have tried to get a few meetings arranged but it was very difficult to pull it together,” he said. “We are in the throes of getting a residents association together. That’s a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel.
“I think I pay over £5,000 for a two-bed, and over £3,000 for a one-bed. I have not seen it but it’s a mess. We have to get our service charges down. They are charging more than London rates at the minute.”
Nathan Jones similarly believes that he is paying over the odds compared to prices in the capital. He explained: “Yes, we have access to the swimming pool and gym — but I have got flats and I asset manage 300 units — but in London service charges range from £1,400 to £3,000 per year. This is £6,000.
“For a lot of people, particularly the owner occupiers, I think the fact that we are paying through the nose and the carpets are shoddy, it’s not been painted, and there’s mould — it adds insult to injury.”
In response to the concerns set out by residents, a spokesperson for Rendall & Rittner said: “At Rendall & Rittner we are very conscious of the rising cost of living and always seek to keep service charges to a minimum, whilst also needing to invest in and maintain the properties under our management.
“At Skyline, the vast majority of ongoing costs have either remained the same or increased in line with inflation, with the exception of utilities, the costs of which have increased significantly nationwide. The service charges have also increased marginally in terms of reserve provision so that works to improve the condition of the internal common parts can be completed in the near future.“
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