March 18, 2024

Downy Court seeks sale of house manager’s flat as residents vote on live-out service

Residents at Downy Court in Poole are voting to end their live-in house manager service at the end of the month as a way of cutting service charges.

The flat is one of hundreds owned by FirstPort that was granted a lease in 2009, when Vincent Tchenguiz, who owns the freehold, also owned Peverel, which became FirstPort last year.

The residents have already received £6,200 in LED lighting and FirstPort will put £5,000 into the contingency fund.

A two-bedroom flat at Downy Court is offered for sale at £118,000, so if the residents vote to end the in-house manager’s service they will also be making an extremely generous gift to FirstPort.

No porkies at Sandbanks, but is ending the in-house manager going to save money?

UPDATED August 1 2016. 20:17 Residents at Sandbanks at Hoylake, in the Wirral, are pondering the issue of whether to continue to have an in-house manager. It is a later McCarthy and Stone retirement site, completed in 2008 and one of the last freeholds to be sold off to Vincent Tchenguiz’s interests, in this case, Fairhold […]

Peverel Retirement up before the ARMA regulator before it can join ARMA-Q

A complaint about Peverel Retirement is being considered by ARMA regulator Keith Hill even before the trade body rules on whether it meets the criteria of ARMA-Q. The complaint comes from Alex Ellison, whose mother lives in Mere Court, in Knutsford, Cheshire. It concerns Peverel’s ownership and disposal of house managers’ flats.

Now Anchor wants to grab a £160,000 house manager flat … for £10,000

After Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation revealed that Hanover had sold 21 house manager flats, the cash-strapped Anchor is proposing to do the same. Residents at Welland Mews, in Stamford in Lincolnshire, were this morning asked whether they want to continue with a resident house manager as the post is vacant. If they agree to […]

Hanover: 21 house manager flats sold ‘after taking advice’

The Hanover housing association has no set procedure for selling off house manager flats at its 104 retirement sites. It has already sold 21 flats – more here. As leases vary, each site is assessed individually and advice is obtained, Hanover has told Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation in a statement: “There is some variation […]

Mounting concern as Hanover has sold 21 house manager flats

Hanover residents are becoming increasingly concerned that the supposedly not-for-profit housing association is mining value out of their sites by flogging off the house manager flats. Leonard Hackett Court in Bournemouth had its house manager flat sold in June for £105,000, while others report Hanover seeking planning consent to enhance value before putting the properties […]

Why was a new lease issued to Peverel on a house manager’s flat, when the residents’ leases say this should not be done?

The issue of the ownership of the house manager’s flat at Mere Court, Knutsford, has again been raised, this time with the Land Registry. Alex Ellison, whose mother lives at the site, wrote explaining that all the leases at Mere Court (registered under the freehold title of CH261040) were created 20 years ago. In all […]

ARHM rejects complaint that Peverel pushed Mere Court residents into agreeing house manager’s flat sale …

  … a flat that, it emerged, Peverel itself owned The daughter of a resident at Mere Court in Knutsford who believed Peverel was urging the sale of the house manager’s flat for financial gain has had her complaint rejected by the ARHM. Alex Ellison was appalled to discover that Peverel was encouraging the sale of […]

Mere Court residents should vote as they wish, but tell Peverel it cannot sell the house manager’s flat until its ownership is clear

… the area manager was telling residents the flat was ‘part of estate’ only three months ago Mere Court residents have been given until August 19 by Peverel to vote on whether they want a live-in house manager. If they don’t, the flat will be sold. They should vote as they wish and according to […]

Hand over £100,000 Mere Court house manager’s flat and we will give you £10,000, say Peverel / Tchenguiz

Residents at Mere Court in Cheshire have been offered a £10,000 donation to their contingency fund – provided they surrender their interest in the house manager’s flat. A meeting was held by Peverel at the 39-flat site last Friday (July 19) and the residents are now to be balloted on whether they wish to dispense […]

Sacked Peverel house manager went on spending spree … on flowers

A sacked Peverel house manager at a Shropshire retirement development went on a spending spree that will see the residents receive a £3,600 rebate on their service charges this August. The live-in house manager at Ashbrook Court, in Church Stretton, spent the money on cut flowers and plant pots to decorate the premises. “They all […]

Pensioners win epic £137,000 victory over warden’s flat rental

In a landmark case, 40 elderly leaseholders have won an epic battle against paying for the notional rent of their warden’s flat through the service charge. Since 1986 this has cost the residents in Worthing, Sussex, £137,000. The battle was fought in the face of repeated delaying tactics by their landlord, the Oakland Pension Fund, […]