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Hello everyone,
I'm looking for advice on a property service charge-related matter.
Last year, I bought a flat managed by a company called HML. I don't live there as I had a lot of work done on it gradually and it was only finished this summer, I still haven't moved in yet. For reasons unknown to me, it took HML well over a year to send me the first service charge bill, and that was only after I'd asked them at least three times to start billing me. The bill they eventually sent me in September this year covers the second half of 2023 and the whole of 2024, it comes to roughly £2.6k.
Sod's law - they sent me the bill while I was abroad for a month. I got back, checked my post and saw the letter one day before the payment deadline. I went into my bank account and could have sworn I paid it that day (only it now turns out I didn't).
After I thought I'd paid, I didn't give it another thought until a few weeks later - last Friday - when I went back to the flat to pick up post and found first and final reminders to pay with a warning that they'd contact debt collectors if I didn't pay by last Monday. I was convinced I'd paid and was preparing to email them to query it, but found to my horror that there was no sign of the transfer on my bank statement. I must have misremembered what I'd done. I paid HML that same evening (Fri 8 Nov) and emailed them evidence of the bank transfer as their office had closed for the day.
This morning, I phoned HML to say I'd paid and they said I'd have to contact the debt collector (Property Debt Collection, PDC) as they've already instructed them. I phoned PDC and they said that now that I've paid HML, there are outstanding fees of "only" about £1,000. I was expecting some sort of charge, but a grand?! As of Friday when I picked up my post and paid the service charge to HML, I hadn't even received anything in the post from PDC.
Does this not seem a bit extortionate? I don't have a breakdown of where they got this £1k figure from - maybe some of it will go to HML, I'm waiting to find out - but since I paid HML before even hearing anything from PDC, it does seem a bit much. Numerous Google Reviews of PDC allege unlawful behaviour and outrageous charges, which makes me wonder whether the charge is excessive. I gather that PDC is FCA-regulated but don't know the rules/laws on what they can reasonably charge.
I'm looking for advice on a property service charge-related matter.
Last year, I bought a flat managed by a company called HML. I don't live there as I had a lot of work done on it gradually and it was only finished this summer, I still haven't moved in yet. For reasons unknown to me, it took HML well over a year to send me the first service charge bill, and that was only after I'd asked them at least three times to start billing me. The bill they eventually sent me in September this year covers the second half of 2023 and the whole of 2024, it comes to roughly £2.6k.
Sod's law - they sent me the bill while I was abroad for a month. I got back, checked my post and saw the letter one day before the payment deadline. I went into my bank account and could have sworn I paid it that day (only it now turns out I didn't).
After I thought I'd paid, I didn't give it another thought until a few weeks later - last Friday - when I went back to the flat to pick up post and found first and final reminders to pay with a warning that they'd contact debt collectors if I didn't pay by last Monday. I was convinced I'd paid and was preparing to email them to query it, but found to my horror that there was no sign of the transfer on my bank statement. I must have misremembered what I'd done. I paid HML that same evening (Fri 8 Nov) and emailed them evidence of the bank transfer as their office had closed for the day.
This morning, I phoned HML to say I'd paid and they said I'd have to contact the debt collector (Property Debt Collection, PDC) as they've already instructed them. I phoned PDC and they said that now that I've paid HML, there are outstanding fees of "only" about £1,000. I was expecting some sort of charge, but a grand?! As of Friday when I picked up my post and paid the service charge to HML, I hadn't even received anything in the post from PDC.
Does this not seem a bit extortionate? I don't have a breakdown of where they got this £1k figure from - maybe some of it will go to HML, I'm waiting to find out - but since I paid HML before even hearing anything from PDC, it does seem a bit much. Numerous Google Reviews of PDC allege unlawful behaviour and outrageous charges, which makes me wonder whether the charge is excessive. I gather that PDC is FCA-regulated but don't know the rules/laws on what they can reasonably charge.
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