Do you have high apartment services charges?

A

aurora1234

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Hello,
I am writing from The Consumer Show, in Rte. We are doing a story about high managements fees. We are looking for people that have to pay very high apartment services charges. Will you be interested in speaking with us? Maybe someone that you know? Please contact us on auroraATcocotelevision.ie or 01 20 84644 . Thanks
 
Hi
I my view most people are not aware of the provisions of the MUD Act 2011 and the general rules that govern management companies.

They do not engage in the process of making sure that the management company holds an AGM each year and presents Annual audited accounts and a budget which is supposed to be agreed by the majority at the AGM.

All they actually do is complain about the fact that the annual management charge is too high. Answers like "I don't want to get involved in the Residents association or the Management agents make all the decisions" don't wash.

Owners have the power to take control of there buildings (in most cases) and should educate themselves on their obligations/rights as members of a management company.

You will get lots of people complaining that the charges are too high but how many have banded together with other owners and tried to help themselves by going on the board or attending AGMs and voting down budgets that are too high.
 

I fit your search criteria. I have emailed you.
 
I am getting fed up with people whinging about their management fees. I live in a 4 bed house. I have to insure it, pay for maintenace,etc Nothing in life is free
 
Vanessa said:
I am getting fed up with people whinging about their management fees. I live in a 4 bed house. I have to insure it, pay for maintenace,etc Nothing in life is free
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An excellant point. When you look at even smaller houses paying €300-350 per year for home and contents and thats quite competative then there is maintenance of the house on top of that, looking after lawns, servicing boilers etc it isn't hard to get to €500 for a typical house. Insurance can be much more depending on the home and if a claim has been made in the last 3 years. In that sense apartment fee's in the 500-1000 are NOT as excessive as you might think becaus if they were to be living in a house they would be paying those costs anyway in most cases.

Its important that a like for like comparison is made and prior to the next AGM I intend to infographic this data backed up by quotes to demonstrate that the company is not charging extortionate fee's.' In fact for our apartments I predict that the overall costs will actually work out similar if not cheaper.
 
The other thing is that fees reflect services provided or should do anyway. I pay €150 more than my sister does for a similar apartment, yet I get my windows cleaned, we have communal refuse bins so I don't have to pay for refuse separately (she does) so I actually get more for my money than she does in her development (in Cork, I'm in Dublin).

I actually think the question posed by the OP is naiive and shows a lack of understanding of the management fee situation. OK there are developments where fees are un-necessarily high but asking such a general question is just as likely to draw out people whose fees are actually reasonable for services received but these people haven't gotten involved in their MC or attended AGMs so don't necessarily understand the situation.
 
Unfortunately the OP is looking for people who will whinge about management fees with no understanding of what a management company does.

It would have been so much better if The Consumer Show came looking for people who managed to keep their service charge down, and created a great place to live, by getting involved in the running of their development. I suppose that does not make 'good' television.
 

Hear hear!
 
It is like everything else in life, there are good, not so good and very poor management companies. There are good and not so good members of management companies. There are good value, poor value and downright bad value management companies. I have been involved in one way or another with all the different types of management companies. It is very unfair to judge any of them except on their individual merits. It is very difficult to get owners involved in them at the best of times and impossible when one is run poorly or run by dictators.
 
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To be fair I spoke to the consumer show a little while back as we have a development with very low fees on the basis that the community will engage in litter picks, tidy days and spring cleans. We have our own mower and a resident Association member cuts it voluntarily. They were quite interested.

I think its important to clarify a few points though: -

1/ All management fees are unique and specific to each development depending on its structure and layout and size and service requirements. You cannot compare one with another directly.
2/ When you consider the costs of insurance and maintenance that a comparitive home owner must also make then the costs are not as high as you might think. Its assumed that Management fees are something that apartment owners pay over and above home owners. That is simply untrue.

What is clear is that running an OMC is a challenging and time consuming task made incredibly hard when members dont pay.
 

I agree with you but unfortunatley when the complex has a majority of rented units the landlords arent interested in that type of involvement
 
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