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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think our neighbours are ridiculous for paying this and refuse to pay my "share"

999 replies

Hiphopapotamus4 · 16/05/2017 21:20

A house on our road came up for sale recently (its empty at the moment, was rented) and as you do, I had a nosey at the particulars on Right Move. In the description in says that there is a service charge of £500 per year. I thought this was odd as we pay no such charge and it's not a flat or leasehold or anything like that so I couldn't figure out what the charge was for.

I ran into another neighbour who made a comment about the price it was for sale for so I commented that I noticed it had a service charge and how odd that was. Neighbour gave me a funny look and said "yes, well we all pay the service charge" I said that we don't and have never been told anything about it or asked for payment. I asked her what it was for exactly and she didn't really know but kept saying "we all have to pay it".

Now, she has obviously been and spoken to some of the other neighbours about this and they are now annoyed that we don't pay when everyone else does. They want us to start paying it so that their share becomes less. However NOBODY knows what it is for, they all just pay it without questioning it. I said I wouldn't be paying anything unless they can tell me what it is for and what "service" I am receiving.

AIBU to think they have all been a bit foolish to pay so much money without questioning it and that they should stop paying it/find out what it's for rather than ask me to contribute!

To be clear, this is a fairly normal road with no communal areas and no "services" (other than the usual bin collections etc). Apparently the invoice just says "service charge" and does not specify exactly what service it is.

(I am currently the "bad neighbour" and need to make amends - may have to bribe the neighbourhood with homemade chocolate brownies then convince them to stage a mass refusal of payment and demand for refunds!)

OP posts:
GreenHairDontCare · 16/05/2017 21:34

Totally bizarre that they don't know who they are paying or what it's for.

We pay a service charge (new build estate). We get quarterly statements showing what we're paying for and the management company hold AGMs for the residents.

MyOpe · 16/05/2017 21:34

How odd. I'm usually not interested in these kind of randoms. But this one is puzzling!

GardenGeek · 16/05/2017 21:34

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

StealthPolarBear · 16/05/2017 21:34

Can you ask to see a bill. I can't belive it doesn't say what the payment is for.

GreenHairDontCare · 16/05/2017 21:34

Surely the invoices should have some details on?

BMW6 · 16/05/2017 21:34

Weird neighbours - of course you should not pay unless you know exactly what it is for!!

reallyanotherone · 16/05/2017 21:35

If you told the neighbours that actually, you did pay it, it had slipped your mind or something, would they even know whether you did or not?

For the sake of neighbourly relations and all.

Presumably it's the responsibility of whoever collects it to chase payments, not the neighbours.

I'd maybe do some digging cos i'm nosy and just to make sure you're not foing to be slapped with a huge backdated payment if the neighbours do contact this mythical debt collector.

Give you solicitor a quick ring?

BusyBeez99 · 16/05/2017 21:37

Have you got your original deeds (Conveyance or transfer)? It may be on there. However it may have been extinguished and no one has told the elderly people who've been there years who've carried on paying it!

PossumInAPearTree · 16/05/2017 21:37

Road could be public but unadopted so payment is for upkeep.

Neighbours will have dropped you in it with the council by 09:10am tomorrow....you may well get a bill.

Lochan · 16/05/2017 21:38

We pay a service charge for landscaping maintenance where we live. But I know exactly what it's for and who I pay it to.

NotDavidTennant · 16/05/2017 21:39

but that wouldn't explain why it is in the estate agents details on the house that's for sale. I'm tempted to ask the estate agents what it's for!

The estate agents will most likely just be going off what the vendor has told them.

MyFavouriteName · 16/05/2017 21:39

How bizarre! I certainly wouldn't pay it but I'd definitely want to find out what it is.

BowiesBlueEye · 16/05/2017 21:40

When we bought our house we weren't told at any point by EA, solicitors or previous owners that we had to pay the M.O.D a yearly fee as part of our garden was actually their land. We pay to "rent" it from them.

Could it be something like that?

GreenHairDontCare · 16/05/2017 21:40

You need to ask one of your neighbours to show you an invoice.

Do it now! Then come back and tell us.

patheticpanic · 16/05/2017 21:41

OP, do you live in Sicily?

PenguinOfDoom · 16/05/2017 21:41

If it's a new build and freehold, there might still be a charge for a communal area, such as a playground, gardening, roads, etc.

Without knowing more, it's hard to say, but I bought a new build flat on a development and while mine was leasehold and therefore subject to service charges, the freehold houses also had to pay towards certain things.

If you really want to know, find out who the managing agent is, contact them and ask them for a breakdown of the any fees that freehold houses pay. Though I'm surprised that if you are liable, no-one has been in contact with you. It sounds a bit Chinese whispers, but if it was me I'd want to find out what the actual situation was.

antimatter · 16/05/2017 21:41

wouldn't the need to pay charges came up in searches done by your solicitor when you bought your house?
£500 per year is a lot for landscaping/cleaning/clearing up charges!

Original poster
Hiphopapotamus4 · 16/05/2017 21:41

Not ex-council, no landscaping or playgrounds or anything like that. It's really odd!

I'm not worried about some debt collector knocking on the door because we've been here for years with no problem but I'm now concerned that our neighbours have been paying this mystery fee for no reason.

I will ask next door if I can see her invoice. She is a lovely old lady, on her own and would happily pay any bill that was popped through her letter box without questioning it Sad I'd quite like to be the hero who saved everyone £500 a year!!

OP posts:
Instasista · 16/05/2017 21:42

Don't pay it Bowie. There is a strict process to be followed to recharge via service charges and if you haven't been consulted or
Informed, it hasn't been followed

LightastheBreeze · 16/05/2017 21:42

We used yo pay the council a small sum each year iirc in our previous house for a bit of garden at the back, I'm not sure everyone paid though, it was council ground which was at the back of the terrace houses behind the gardens but it was only about £12. £500 is a lot to not know what it is for

MovingOnUpMovingOnOut · 16/05/2017 21:43

Ooooh

🚗 just parking here for the update

PossumInAPearTree · 16/05/2017 21:43

Even if the council decide you should be paying it they can't back date it.

wowfudge · 16/05/2017 21:44

Phone the EA and pretend to be interested - ask what the service charge is for and who it's paid to. It's a not inconsiderable additional cost to have to pay. They may not be able to tell you exactly who, but they might come back with the council, the original builder, etc. Whereabouts on the road is your house?

EweAreHere · 16/05/2017 21:45

How bizarre! I hope they're not being defrauded.

Wolfiefan · 16/05/2017 21:45

Any chance it's a historic thing and the previous owner of your house settled up before you bought the house?