To ask you about your new build estate/maintenance fees

[Conflictedovernewbuild]

We are planning to move from our current money pit home to a new build.

Been reading up on annual estate maintenance fees, the development we are looking at charges this through an ‘estate rentcharge’ which appears to give
the consumer no protection or recourse in case of price hikes or unsatisfactory work. If a resident defaults the company it appears can essentially revert your freehold to a leasehold, known as ‘fleecehold’. Seems some management companies have been selling their contracts to investment companies presumably to profiteer.

We were really invested in this move and honestly feel like walking away because of this.

For those of you in new builds, has this affected you? I’d really like some balance rather than reading horror stories online. We are looking at a David Wilson Homes development in the South.

We've been in ours 8 years. It's £122.00 per year and hasn't gone up in all the time we've been here. Also, the Management company is really good getting things sorted out when we contact them. We bought with Bellway, don't know if that makes a difference or not. If the estate has been there a while, I recommend asking some residents if it's increased since they have been there. The reason I say this, is at the other end of town, Crest Nicholson and their management company, the fees have rapidly increased each year since they started the development, so look very carefully at both the builder and who they use for management of their spaces. Google is definitely your friend here, so research well.

The fees are a different type of money pit. But sure, go ahead if that's what you want

I live in a new build in West Sussex, been here for 9 yrs. We have a maintenance company, First Port that looks after the estate, cutting grass, keeping trees in order, street lighting etc & it costs about £350 per year. Hasn't gone up much since I moved in back in 2013. I used to live in a 1930s style detached & it was always bloody cold - this house is cozy & warm. Definitely recommend it!!

I'm in an apartment. Management company are utterly shite and seem to be able to charge what they want
They use expensive contractors rather than local businesses which would cut costs massively
My fees are £150pm (my mortgage is only £385.....)

Thanks for responses.

Build is in phase one so no other residents to ask.

This becoming our new money pit is what concerns me, plus implications if we were to sell down the line. I don’t begrudge paying maintenance but it’s the way they administer it that concerns me.

What management company is it? You can search them online & see what their charges are on other estates

I was looking at potentially buying a house a couple of weeks ago on an estate built about 7 years ago. Then I was told there were maintenance charges.

I researched the implications and decided not to make an offer on the house because of the charges.

There are a lot of horror stories out there about ''fleece hold'' and these charges being uncapped, home owners having no legal right to challenge them (at least leaseholders living flats can ask to see invoices and management companies have to show that the charges are reasonable but there is no such protection for home owners on estates). A lot these charges go on ''management fees'' rather than actual repairs. I was also really shocked to see that developers and their management company can simply take the house back if the owner is late in paying the charges. Also the management company has a say in what you can do with your home (you have to ask permission/pay an admin fee if you want to build a conservatory for example) and they also charge you for a home seller pack if you want to put your property on the market.

It did not sounds at all like freehold to me, rather some attempt to sneak in conditions usually attached to leasehold properties.

Some estates are managed by residents themselves rather than private management companies so it might be possible to get a fair deal in that scenario but the whole thing seemed too risky to me and ripe for exploitation.

I understand the developer use various management companies perhaps depending on location.

Greenfairydust we’ve been reading similar stories. It certainly seems it could be exploitative. There are other mechanisms to collect maintenance charges rather than through fleecehold, which makes me think, so why don’t they use these instead.

My friend lives in an apartment and she's really not happy with the estate management company. She pays over £200 per month and it goes up every year. They're not very responsive either to issues or complaints. I'd be cautious about how much your charges will be.

Through work I worked with residents on a new build estate. They were paying £100s a year and nothing was being done, verges not cut etc… It seems there is no mechanism for the residents to remove them either, you are stuck with whoever is appointed and they can charge whatever fees they like.

There’s a difference between ground rent (the people who live in leasehold flats paying hundreds a month) and maintenance fees (generally those paid on new build estates of freehold houses). Look up the difference before you panic. It’s the ground rent where these awful clauses about the fees doubling each year are concerning. We pay £145 a year maintenance fee, lived here 6 years, it’s gone up in line with inflation.

After so many years you can chose as residents to manage it yourselves if you wish so you aren’t tied to companies forever

your solicitor should be able to advice more

out solicitor also called out risks with how the management companies allocated funds on their accounts so we’re really thorough

but we have no issues and our company fixes things quickly - also means our estate is well maintained and people can’t leave crap about.

I live in a David Wilson home in the South, we’ve been here for 3 years and the development is 4 years old.

It’s not gone up from £120 although we didn’t pay for the first couple of years as the management company hadn’t taken over. The company met with residents to find out what was needed and maintenance/gardening is done regularly & the company are very responsive.

Havanawinter It’s the mechanism they use to collect the charge, called estate rent management. You have less rights than a leaseholder.

WombatBombat I’m guessing ours would be similar while the developers are on site so no initial charges.

It’s good to read of others positive experiences, thank you for sharing these.

I live in a persimmon new build and it's about £20 a quarter hasn't gone up in 2 years.

They send us the bill and we pay it.

Love my new build it's always warm

We bought a new build years ago. The maintenance fee went up every year whilst the maintenance remained absolute shite. In the end we had to create a neighbourhood community group that then threatened the company to actually carry out maintenance, we waited 3 years for a playground to be built (I moved out of the development 10 years ago and that playground still hasn't been built).

In the end we sought an alternative management company based on the costs and performance and got them overturned. But all in all it was stressful living on a new build estate that looked unkempt and unfinished whilst they stole our money.

We've lived in a "Fleecehold" for about 8 years now. It's raised some years but not others, the latest payment was £400 for 12 months (ours is a large house, the higher the value the more % you pay), this is between 30-odd homes.

When we bought the house from new, the salesperson did say it would be handed onto an estates management company, but then the residents can get together and make their own company which is usually much cheaper. Sadly, that has never happened through lack of knowledge/apathy/lack of neighbourliness or whatever.

It is definitely not value for money as all the company do are get a trades company to mow the grassed areas once a month or so, which I know if residents get together would not cost thousands per year! That is all they do. (No cleaning the roads/clearing drains/sweeping leaves/little picking even - nothing). Yet on the yearly accounts that are sent to us, things like gas & electricity (of the management company's premises), and other expenses, i.e nothing to do with the estate - are what we are paying for.

It's not a problem for us as we knew about it from when we bought the house and accepted it. Though I might have hoped the neighbours might have been more pro-managing it and got together to do this, but I don't think that will ever change now.

I wouldn't. Unless you think you can rely on the other residents to take over and make your own company to manage it.

Very unlikely in my experience - no one wants to get involved.

We have been in one for 6 years and just had our fourth bill. When we bought it was estimated to be £178 a year. Last year it was about £190, this year it was £184. So it hasn't really gone up much.

I'm a director for our estate management company and we have a third party (Gateway) manage the charges. They are not brilliant but do an ok job.

I've worked for a very successful new build specialist mortgage broker for 7 years and have never heard of this 'fleecehold', also I live in a new build home and the fees are something like £200 a year or less. Taylor wimpey home

Something else to be aware of, I've learned from neighbours, that if you need a mortgage some lenders won't touch with a barge pole.

Some MPs (you'd have to Google) were (?are) campaigning for changes with regard to the whole thing but of course no guarantees when, of if, it will ever change. Leaseholders currently have more rights.

Freehold houses: Estate charges

commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-8497/

not quite the same but
My son is buying an apartment that has ground rent charge in the lease
the flat is around 12 years old

however due to a change in the law in June 2022 you can’t have ground rent anymore
So a lot of apartments that are selling after this date need it removed or you can’t sale
so it’s got to be removed and a new lease issued

it’s taking forever - since August and he’s already had to get a new mortgage
i know of several people in flats who can’t sell at the moment because of this change in the law
none of the flats that are up for sale in my sons block can’t sell

But this doesn’t apply to new builds after June 2022