Why do we pay for Marina the public uses for free?
RESIDENTS FURIOUS ABOUT NEW £200 ‘SERVICE CHARGE’ FOR UPKEEP OF AREA SURROUNDING THEIR BUILDINGS
RESIDENTS have told of their fury after being asked to pay a ‘new’ service charge towards maintaining a city centre marina that is open to the public.
Buildings around New Islington in Ancoats have recently received letters saying they owe around £200 a year to property company PlumLife, acting on behalf of the landlord, Manchester city council.
In one such letter seen by the M.E.N, the estate manager for PlumLife says the estate charge has ‘always been in place’ but that the council only began demanding it in October 2018.
The letter quotes a section of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 which makes clear PlumLife has up to 18 months to demand payment for costs incurred.
As such, residents are being sent backdated bills from 1 April 2020, up until the end of December 2021.
The letter adds:
“Please accept our apologies for the delay in not getting this out any sooner but the interruption was due to difficulties in obtaining details of all the leaseholders liable for paying a service charge contribution towards the Marina, and then ensuring the apportionment of the charges were accurate.
“It is felt that the expertise that PlumLife Management can offer with regards to legislative compliance and effective Estate management will be of significant benefit to you all.”
It is understood that the New Islington estate, a private space including the marina that is accessible to the public, has been in place for around 20 years and that all leaseholders should have been made aware of a potential charge by their conveyancer when they bought properties.
Some residents have been paying the estate charge for many years, the M.E.N
The council is asking for us to pay for something that is not a private space, as far as I can see Flat owner
understands. But others say they this is the first they have heard of it.
Residents of The Point, on New Union Street, say they had no idea of the charge when they bought their properties back in 2014.
One flat owner, who asked not to be named, has been left furious by the demand.
“When I got the letter I thought it was a scam - it came as a massive shock to me,” he said.
“We are being hit with a bill backdated 18 months that we didn’t have any say [in]. Why are we paying for a public space?
“The council is asking us to pay for something that is not a private space, as far as I can see.
“If we are paying council tax, why do we also have to pay more?”
“The general public doesn’t realise they are not paying for it, they are paying for the pavement around the Marina but the main bit of upkeep, the most expensive part, is being passed to local residents.
“It feels like a loophole. “
The Marina has become an increasingly popular outdoor space in recent years, as more residential and food and drink venues have opened up.
It was especially packed out during a hot spell at the end of March this year when the country was still under coronavirus restrictions, banning gatherings indoors.
Pictures taken by the M.E.N at the time showed dozens of people sitting out on the walkways, drinking and socialising in the sun.
News of the estate charge has some residents now suggesting access to the marina and park should be further controlled.
“As far as I’m concerned, if it really is a private estate, put a gate on it and make it access only for residents,” said the resident of The Point.