Mark Prisk who was sacked as housing minister this afternoon had the undoubted benefit of knowing something about housing, having been a chartered surveyor. He was also sympathetic to the problems faced by leaseholders and was beginning to appreciate the massive sums of money wrongly taken from them by monetising freeholders and the managing […]
Retirement leasehold is the worst property investment bar none!
October 5, 2013 By
Even one-bedroom flats in the centre of Leeds, which plummeted after the boom, hold value better than retirement leasehold. The explanation? Greed, simply. Retirement housebuilders, speculators who buy the freeholds when developers sell them off and management companies have proved unable to resist exploiting the weak and elderly. Leasehold law (which is unique to England […]
Our management fees have gone up 21 per cent. What can we do?
October 5, 2013 By
I am the chair of a residents association at a Peverel site that is 43 flats and 20 years old next year. We have a long running battle over Peverel’s management fees which for this financial year 2013/14 is £16,468 on top of all other costs in the service charge. Our research indicates that the fee […]
Private Eye covers the Peverel price-fixing scandal
October 2, 2013 By
Today’s issue of the satirical magazine Private Eye carries a report on the Peverel / Cirrus price fixing scandal, which is the subject of an Office of Fair Trading investigation. Peverel is co-operating with the inquiry and has been granted “leniency” from court action as a result. The OFT says Peverel turned itself in in […]
Hold on! Pensioners have been stranded by broken lifts in Peverel blocks FIVE times in the past TWO years!
October 2, 2013 By
UPDATE It is claimed on the Peverel website that the lifts at Ferndown Grange were finally fixed over the weekend of October 5-6. By Michael Epstein It emerges that pensioners living in Peverel retirement leasehold blocks have been trapped by broken lifts on four other occasions over the past two years, according to local press […]
Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation interview with BBC raises Peverel price-fixing scandal and AgeUK logos
October 2, 2013 By
BBC Radio Bristol reported yesterday on pensioners stuck for five weeks inside Peverel-managed Ferndown Grange owing to a broken lift. The interview also reported wider issues concerning leasehold retirement by interviewing Sebastian O’Kelly, Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation chairman. Last Friday’s decision by AgeUK to remove its logos from the Peverel Retirement website was reported, […]
Pensioners stuck in flats for five weeks at Ferndown Grange … while spare-part for lift is made in Italy!
October 1, 2013 By
BBC Radio Bristol reported this morning on the case of residents at Ferndown Grange (above) in Bristol being “imprisoned” in their block owing to a damaged lift. A report has also appeared on its website here The lift has been broken for five weeks with no end in sight as new spare-part is going to […]
Gardens not good enough for fire ladders, so £11,000 please!
September 30, 2013 By
Here is a letter from a reader, and Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation’s reply. Any views from the Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation “panel of experts? Homepine House in Folkestone had serious issues over safety safety improvements, as can be read here We have been told that the Fire Officer has said that we need […]
Sunday Times reports residents raise £2 million to rescue Crystal Fountain retirement site
September 29, 2013 By
The Sunday Times today reports an inspiring story of residents at Crystal Fountain Village in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, saving their homes and taking control of the site. The residents, headed by Peter Wilson and Betty Young, 72, saw off 22 rival bidders. Each resident had to chip in £30,000 to save the site. The story has […]
What happens if the managing agent or freeholder goes bust?
September 28, 2013 By
Would Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation readers offer any thoughts to this concerned correspondent wondering about the financial health of managing agent and freeholder? We have put in an offer for a retirement flat for my grandmother. I wondered if you could provide me with any details of what happens to a property should the […]
AgeUK removes logos from Peverel Retirement website
September 27, 2013 By
Yesterday: now you see them … … today: now you don’t AgeUK today removed its logos from the Peverel Retirement website, after their presence was drawn to its attention by Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation. No explanation has been given why the logos – for AgeUK, Age Cymru and Age Scotland – were placed […]
My mum has seen a retirement leasehold flat and loves it, but what are the pitfalls?
September 27, 2013 By
Any words of advice for this reader poised to buy a retirement leasehold flat? (Please do not grandstand or name individual companies: helpful advice only, thanks.) Last week we went with my mother to view a retirement leasehold site in Cornwall. We were all very surprised to be so impressed by the quality of the […]
