# Can't afford managment fees?



## Suziewon (3 May 2009)

my brother bought an affordable housing apartment in dublin last year, unfortunately then lost his job 2 months later,(electrician) no work since. Socail welfare have been paying the interest on the mortgage, but now the €1900 managment fees are due and he just can't afford to pay them, what happens in this situation?


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## NicolaM (3 May 2009)

Has he spoken to the Management company?
Perhaps there is some sort of arrangement they could come to, eg a monthly payment.

Legally, he is required to  pay the fees.

Nicola


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## Yorrick (3 May 2009)

I'm afraid that it will be treated like any debt. The Management Company will seek payment and if they don't get it they will take the legal path.
I agree with the other subscriber. Approach the Management Company and see if some arrangement can be made to pay by installments. The costs of electricity  in commons areas, insurance etc are being paid from management fees and he is benefiting from same.


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## jacobean (3 May 2009)

The reality is he could probably get away with not paying the amount for a year - however not paying will probaby result in the debt being handed over to a debt collection agency and perhaps interest on the outstanding amount. 

As the other two posters suggest get him to contact the management agent to arrange installment payments.


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## AKA (3 May 2009)

€1900 is pretty steep.  Is this for one year? 2 or 3 bed?


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## shesells (4 May 2009)

Not paying fees is dangerous. In some cases non paying units are excluded from management services, insurance etc. Your brother needs to contact the agent now. Regardless of whether the fees are steep or not, which they are, he is obliged to pay them and they are not negotiable.


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## Bronte (4 May 2009)

That seems like a very large fee for someone in 'affordable' housing who has no income other than social welfare.  Can the social welfare officer help with this?


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## Suziewon (6 May 2009)

thanks everyone, never thought of the socail welfare officer. Yes it's 1900  for a 2 bed apartment(one of the itemised costs was 56k for car park lighting???) , there is only 2 units sold out of 8 in his block for the last 2 years. Although it was affordable housing at the time they are worth less than the affordable housing price at this stage, and impossible to sell.


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## shesells (6 May 2009)

He needs to examine the budget properly and get full costs - he should be able to see quotes if he asks. Our public area lighting is under €15k for a development with just under 100 units.


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## Mers1 (11 May 2009)

hi Suziewon, 

Maybe I'm not technically correct here but if there are only 2 units sold that should mean that the developer should still own the common areas.  The managment fees are usually charged to maintain the common areas - lighting, insurance etc, so should it not be the developer paying until transfer of these areas occurs.  Is there an Managing Agent or Managment Company the latter being the owners??


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## dubrov (11 May 2009)

I've heard what happens when you don't pay your management fees is that the management company seek an attachment on your home. This means that if you ever sell your home the can legally deduct the outstanding fees plus interest.

1900 does sound excessive for a 2-bed though unless it has massive grounds. It sounds like the management company is trying to charge the entire management fee to the 2 sold units. I'd ask to see some numbers from the management company


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## JoeB (11 May 2009)

If the lighting bill was 56K then I don't see how it could be paid even if all eight people paid 2K each.. that'd be only 16K.

So the figures don't add up.

OK, so after a little more reading I see that it is two sold out of eight _in his block_... but unless there's a huge amount of blocks there's some problem with the figures nonetheless.. I don't see how lighting can cost over 1K a week...


Unfortunately I think your brother is going to have to pay in the end...


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