To not want to pay for neighbours roof?

[Edgeofthedesert]

Have a shared freehold and we all pay x amount per year for the service charge.

Neighbour wants to use a majority of the money to pay for her leaky roof to be fixed.

I really don't want to. The service charge is a struggle to pay for myself (increased since I moved in) and I just feel it's unfair to use pretty much the whole amount for that.

She also said that her roof was fixed once before but the same builders who fixed it then put scaffolding on it and broke it again and yet didn't bloody complain at the time

Aibu?

The lease should state clearly who is responsible. If it doesn't, you should have noticed it when you bought your flat.

Even if you are partly responsible YABNU to resent it if your neighbour couldn't be arsed to claim against the builders when they damaged the roof. Why should you have to pay for her laziness/stupidity?

She doesn't need to pay for your drains then???

You really need to check your lease.

It would be surprising if all freeholders were not responsible for the entire building, including the neighbour's "extension", and a leaking roof is also usually something that needs emergency repairs. It's unlikely that you will have the choice.

It's not unfair to be jointly responsible for the whole building, it goes with having a flat! Don't see it as paying for the neighbour, understand that all cost are share equally (or proportionally) by all.

You really need to read your lease. Some lease do state that the building has to be maintained/ repainted every few years, you need to realise what other costs will come up, not just emergency issues.

You need to read your lease carefully and the documents around your fund. Separate cost centres can be set up for separate buildings under one leasehold so it all depends on the wording.

I lived in a purpose built Victorian ground floor maisonette & I was responsible for the foundations whilst the first floor was responsible for the roof. That was a very unusual arrangement though.

We lived in a converted building and accepted that we had collective responsibility for the structural integrity of the building. Regardless of whether it directly connected to our flat!

This is why you read leases fully when buying places in any sort of shared accommodation and with regard to maintenance charges (and how often they can increase them and by how much).