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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:
MargoChanning · 17/05/2017 11:03

I'm placemarking the shit out of this thread!

froomeonthebroom · 17/05/2017 11:04

moving our Roger IS married to Jean! How did you know? ShockGrin

QuietCorday · 17/05/2017 11:04

The thing is that for a road with 12 freehold houses (presumably six on each side), the combined payment of £5500 a year is a steep sum for an imposed council cost for an adopted road or some other insurance or maintenance.

I personally think that if this payment is legitimate, your neighbours would have grounds for challenging the levy. I'm rather surprised that no one has contacted a local councillor about the charge over the years, and utterly kicked off about it. £500 a year is an extraordinary sum to pay the council over and above your council tax bill.

I would call up the council about the property for sale and query the service charge. See what they say. What bothers me somewhat is that the invoice is sent separately to the council tax bill, which suggests it is generated by another department in the council (or if it is a scam, someone else entirely). If so, there would be reference numbers on the bill to track the payment on the council side of things as each household would require a separate council account to council tax for this payment.

There are strict rules and regulations about this kind of thing. The council will be required to make details of where they spend this charge as a matter of public record. If they do not, then I would argue there is a legal failing here somewhere.

Isabella70 · 17/05/2017 11:09

Our Roger is chair of neighbourhood watch and wears grey slacks and a white short sleeved shirt

As I once read: a short-sleeved shirt and a tie is a good look - for a serial killer.

CryingShame · 17/05/2017 11:09

You'd be able to speak to the council if your neighbour is with you and gives them permission to speak to you. You can't just phone up from your house about the service charge of Joan next door unless they have permission to discuss it with you. I would suspect it's to do with a private road, but road signs usually say that a road is private. I'd be interested to know where your house is in relation to the others that do pay, in case there's some boundary line and your house is over the boundary and therefore not chargeable in the same way as Roger's is.

MovingOnUpMovingOnOut · 17/05/2017 11:09

I have a PhD in Roger related studies Froome.

Kewcumber · 17/05/2017 11:10

I'm not going to do that placemarking thingie. no sireee. That would be gauche.

JustMuddlingOn · 17/05/2017 11:12

Op are you phoning the estate agent on your lunch break?!

fannydaggerz · 17/05/2017 11:12

I would phone the council

TheMerryWidow1 · 17/05/2017 11:12

can't believe so many people would pay for something and not even know what its for!!

Charmageddon · 17/05/2017 11:14

You know if you don't have a "Roger" on your street it's probably you...

GrinGrin

Lapinlapin · 17/05/2017 11:19

I've just read this thread from start to finish but am a bit disappointed that there's no answer yet.

Am now desperate to know!

Can't believe I scrolled past this thread so many times in active convos thinking it didn't sound that exciting.
How wrong I was - best thread ever Grin

MovingOnUpMovingOnOut · 17/05/2017 11:19

I feel like I may have suggested Roger's trousers are optional. I should be clear that Roger is always trousered (chinos for best, ketchup trousers if he's a raging Tory, often slacks but never jeans) with the exception of a Late Night Antisocial Noise Related Incident™ when you may see him in a towelling dressing gown and moccasins. Best to stand away from the wrapped over side in case of gape.

CoraPirbright · 17/05/2017 11:19

can't believe so many people would pay for something and not even know what its for!!

Absolutely! I mean a couple of quid, maybe, but 500 per annum Shock

WhereYouLeftIt · 17/05/2017 11:21

Intriguing!

Stormtreader · 17/05/2017 11:28

I need to know what this charge is for!

anonymousbird · 17/05/2017 11:34

Also in need of an answer - all quite odd.

mateysmum · 17/05/2017 11:36

Come on OP how can you blatantly slope off to work when the MN massif is waiting for you to resolve this vital matter?
Whatever the explanation, nobody should ever pay for something they don't know why or what for.

Re Roger, I think there may be regional variations. Urban Rogers are more your slacks and shirt types. Rural Rogers are the tweed tie and cords variety.

thatdearoctopus · 17/05/2017 11:41

movingon That made me laugh out loud. GrinGrin
Feeling a bit queasy at the prospect of "gape" from Roger.

thatdearoctopus · 17/05/2017 11:43

Speaking of serial killers, Roger also wears spectacles, a la John Christie.

Justdontgetitatall · 17/05/2017 11:43

Sounds like they're getting a whopping great refund!! And the Council will go bloody bust (can they?!) depending on the size of the road...!! Haha

RebootYourEngine · 17/05/2017 11:47

I pay a service charge but its included in my rental payments and not as a separate bill.

Who pays a bill when they dont know what they are paying for Confused

EenyMeenyMo · 17/05/2017 11:49

It could be that it was a private road in the past and then was adopted by the council- in that case the council can charge a fee to cover maintenance (as effectively they are taking on a liability)
However this is normally a lump sum which gets paid upfront - well at least it is in my area - where do you live?

Northumberlandlass · 17/05/2017 11:51

Shameless. Place marking!

NinjaPosse · 17/05/2017 11:52

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

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