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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:
PossumInAPearTree · 16/05/2017 23:06

I used to work for a water company and there's a few unadopted streets in our city. So for a blocked main sewer or burst water pipe the water company wouldn't touch it because technically it's not a public street....even though it's a public right of way. Normally closes rather than through streets. Householders normally pay the council an annual charge in case of problems.

Ratbagcatbag · 16/05/2017 23:09

🚘🚘

Supersoaryflappypigeon · 16/05/2017 23:09

Wine just getting comfy whilst I wait for the update Grin

Tapandgo · 16/05/2017 23:10

❓❓❓❓

BerylStreep · 16/05/2017 23:11

I'm paying £500 to place mark.

I expect all other posters to cough up the same, in which case it will bring my contribution down to £5

BackforGood · 16/05/2017 23:13

Am intrigued Beryl, but not that intrigued.

Oh, look, I've accidentally posted in order to comment on your post Grin

BlondeB83 · 16/05/2017 23:13

How strange! Shameless place marking!!

milkysmum · 16/05/2017 23:14

Hmm very curious indeed

noodleaddict · 16/05/2017 23:14

Bike just gonna leave this here for a mo

quicklydecides · 16/05/2017 23:16

I personally wouldn't give my name or house number as you make your enquires OP, just in case you actually DO owe the council a lot of money!!

NCSpanner · 16/05/2017 23:17

How odd! We're in a conservation area, in a leasehold, and pay £2.99 a year for the pleasure! Grin I'm gobsmacked all your neighbours are paying £500 without knowing what it's for! Very curious to hear what you find out.

ConfidentlyUnhinged · 16/05/2017 23:17

I think your neighbour will still be up. Why not go and get that invoice.

Garlicansapphire · 16/05/2017 23:18

Could be ground rent - they are historic charges - mostly died out and forgotten about now. A charity I used to work for had some which they'd been donated but didnt collect anymore.

Ask the estate agent. Rather than asking the neighbours to see their invoice.

Closedenv · 16/05/2017 23:18

Can't resist place marking Cake

SchoolIssue1 · 16/05/2017 23:20

We pay about £500 a year as part of our garden is owned by Network Rail. Could it be similar but land owned by the council?

haveacupoftea · 16/05/2017 23:21

We pay a service charge on our new estate for communal areas. But it's more like £100

GinIsIn · 16/05/2017 23:21

How old is your house/street? If the land was formerly a council site e.g. Recycling or cemetery or something it might be a form of ground rent?

SnickersWasAHorse · 16/05/2017 23:22

What I don't get is that the other neighbours have the hump with you for not paying your share.
It's not like you are refusing to pay for something that you are using, like a private road or a communal areas.

UrsulaPandress · 16/05/2017 23:22

CherryChasingDotMuncher · 16/05/2017 23:23

Lol @ protection money GrinGrin

Placemarking as I want to know how this turns out! I say ring EA in the morning see what they say

ChasedByBees · 16/05/2017 23:25

That is so weird. The estate agents will only be going on what the vendors told them, as someone said above.

MrsSchadenfreude · 16/05/2017 23:26

Oooh how odd!

whothefuckhas5children · 16/05/2017 23:27

Ahem

PersianCatLady · 16/05/2017 23:28

This definitely sounds like a scam.

It would be interesting to see where they are sending the cheques to.

melj1213 · 16/05/2017 23:29

Whilst this mysterious £500 charge is quite odd, I find it even more odd that 11 different households happily pay such a large amount without knowing or even questioning what it's for

This is what is mystifying me more than the £500 charge.

It would be one thing if one or two people in the street just paid up without question but for an entire street to pay £500 a year to someone for some reason without anyone ever questioning it in any way is baffling.

I mean if I received an invoice for a £500 service charge I'd be contacting whoever sent it to find out a)Who are they b) What authority they have to impose the charge and c) What "services" the money is supposed to go towards, before they got a penny out of me.