ePetition - Justice for Leaseholders

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ePetition details

Justice for Leaseholders

We the undersigned petition Brighton & Hove Council to - review the contractual relationship, and implementation of contracts, between BHCC and those who have leased property from the council under right to buy legislation. In particular we request that a comprehensive and public investigation be held into • The accuracy and validity of Annual Service Charges, cyclical repairs and redecoration • The charges for Major Works, in particular the recent city wide cladding programme ,wholesale roof and window replacement ,and the repair, refurbishment and replacement of lifts. We request that any investigatory body includes experts independent of BHCC and that the terms of reference include; • The necessity of work carried out • The validity of the consultation process, particularly with but not confined to leaseholders • Value for Money, the tendering process, and actual costs • The standard of the work carried out.

In November 2009 a small number of leaseholders from one residential block in the city challenged the accuracy of the service, and cyclical repair, charges made over a two year period. A year later the leaseholders received a settlement as a result of overcharging and inappropriate charges. The final settlement included agreement that there would be provision of running costs for repairs every 3 months in order they could be checked against reality by residents. This agreement has not been implemented and the lessons learnt from this single challenge have not been applied elsewhere in the city. Based upon the lowest figure of excess charges accepted by Council Officers, the total amount overcharged over a comparable period from the City as a whole was a minimum £1,068,449.00 of which leaseholders paid at least £168,317.00. The charges included payment for work that had not been done, payment for inadequate repairs, and payment for repairs covered by insurance.
Over the past 18 months leaseholders have received bills, in some cases, in excess of £30,000.00 for work that is of dubious value and for which they have not been properly consulted. The stress and economic hardship caused by these excessive demands is having a detrimental effect on the health and quality of life of a large number of leaseholders.


- Based upon 12,300 homes run by the Council and 2,300 leaseholders.

This ePetition ran from 31/05/2016 to 21/09/2016 and has now finished.

213 people signed this ePetition.

 


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