Didn't know there was a management fee.

daydreamer

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We moved into our house back in October 2016, around the beginning of the summer we started receiving letters addressed to the previous owners (obviously their mail redirect had expired). We would usually write 'not at this address' and throw them back in the post.

One letter kept on coming, and last week curiosity got the better of my wife and she opened it and found a bill from a management company looking for a payment of €540. My wife called them and they said that we will have to arrange to repay this, and also to start making payments for future maintenance fees.

When we left our previous home which was a duplex, we had to pay off our management fees in full in order to receive a MUC report (might not be right name) for our solicitor.

I'm sure most of this is above board, but I find it hard to believe that they didn't know that the previous owners had sold up and moved on as the sales process was going on from July - October 2016.

I'm not sure where the payments are dated from. Are they just trying to chance their arm with us? Should I look into legal advice from our solicitor who looked after the sale for us?

I wouldn't be opposed to paying future fees if I knew what I was paying for and I, but I'm at odds to fork out money to someone for something I didn't even know about.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

PS. Don't get me started on opening someone else's mail.
 
PS. Don't get me started on opening someone else's mail.

Opened in error ;) , totally understandable.

As for the property management fees, my understanding is that the property couldnt be sold without all outstanding management fees settled in full.
I would advise you to notify the property management, in writing, that only fees due since the time you took charge of the property are liable to be paid by you.
As the charge is addressed to previous owners advise the property management to direct their inquiries to previous owners new address and solicitor.
 
Daydreamer does the bill not have dates on it? In any case it would seem to be clear that you owe since 2016.
 
It says 'Balance brought forward from last Statement on 8 Aug 2018 = 540.00'

There are no other date references. Should I write to them asking for them to explain their request for payment?

I guess a simple phone call could clear up a lot, I just wanted to get some advice before entering into a discussion. The lady at the office whom my wife spoke to mentioned arranging a payment method for back payments, but I don't understand how someone can just show you a bill you have no knowledge of request payment. It's not like I was in a hotel and drank from a minibar.

We had no prior knowledge of this. When there was an issue with street lights I got onto fixmystreet.ie and it was sorted.
 
Did you not notice that certain jobs were taken care of where you live that you weren't paying for?

Yes make a phone call and stop this right now by getting the facts. It's clear the management company were not informed there were new owners.
 
It says 'Balance brought forward from last Statement on 8 Aug 2018 = 540.00'

There are no other date references. Should I write to them asking for them to explain their request for payment?

I guess a simple phone call could clear up a lot, I just wanted to get some advice before entering into a discussion. The lady at the office whom my wife spoke to mentioned arranging a payment method for back payments, but I don't understand how someone can just show you a bill you have no knowledge of request payment. It's not like I was in a hotel and drank from a minibar.

We had no prior knowledge of this. When there was an issue with street lights I got onto fixmystreet.ie and it was sorted.
Don't get me started on opening someone else's mail
540 euro since 2016 would not be expensive looks like it is your mail just wrong name on mail,
 
Your solicitor should have mentioned the management fee when you bought the property.
 
Don't get me started on opening someone else's mail
540 euro since 2016 would not be expensive looks like it is your mail just wrong name on mail,

Now, that's a very good point and would seem to be the answer,ie, fees for 2 years management which is cheap by the sounds of it and also the length of time they've been there.
I see on the original post that all management fees had to be paid off in full to get the cert. By any chance had you built up arrears by not knowing of such management fees? It can happen, but when selling it all comes to a head.
 
Your solicitor should have mentioned the management fee when you bought the property.
He probably did.

In any case wouldn’t it be one of the important questions for a purchaser to ask at the viewing stage, are there management fees, what for and how much.
 
Find out from neighbours whats owed per year. Then, assuming there were arrears from previous owner, pay your share of 2016, from when you took ownership, up to date. No way would I pay for anything before I owned the house.
 
Well maybe he did or maybe she didn't. Did you acquire a freehold title to your house?
One of them is leasehold. But I can buy out the freehold. By paying the nominal ground rent. Just never got around to it. It's not like a long leasehold you'd typically find in say London.

Why do you ask?

There are huge problems with management companies in Ireland. That's why I wouldn't purchase in such a scheme, typically the new builds of the last couple of decades. Only if I knew it was well managed, people were paying and the sinking fund was adequate.
 
Thanks for the many responses and advice.

The annual cost is €270 for management fees, the property we purchased is Freehold. I am waiting to find out the exact services that the management company look after. I had assumed it was Fingal County Council that is tending to the estate.

The solicitor never mentioned it and I've had a look through the 'general conditions of sale' document and the things mentioned in outgoings were NPPR, LPT and Household Charge (2012), so I'm assuming that may be it.

We would have signed up for the service had we known about it, the problem with the arrears is that we didn't enter a contract with the company and they haven't bothered to contact us for nearly two years. On top of that, we can't afford it at the moment.

I'll keep you updated on what happens next.

Thanks again.
 
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