‘An £8k service charge left me unable to pay bills’

"I had water on my sink and coffee tables that was freezing.

I'd be lying in bed and I could see my breath."Curo, which says it does not make any money from the contributions, said it was "trying to work with residents to prepare them for these bills".Man jailed for 'cruel' attack that killed pensionerStudent who murdered uni housemate jailed for lifeWhen Maddern bought his flat in 2023, the annual service charge was about £1,300 per year.

He was told there was £5,000 in what is known as a sinking fund to cover any necessary works.But the following year, he received a bill for £8,000 to go towards fire safety work and new windows."Originally I thought there was some kind of mistake," he said.

But when he queried the charge, Curo confirmed it was accurate.Maddern describes "constant delays" in his attempts to reach out to Curo and negotiate."They were totally uncaring," he said, adding he was told he could sell his property and pay the fee that way.Maddern said he ended up selling possessions and taking out loans to pay for the work.While he said he knew that as a leaseholder he had a….

But to have everything in the space of three years, surely that is not a good approach," he added.Andrew Snee, director of housing and support at Curo, acknowledged the way charges had been communicated could have been better and said he wanted to apologise "if our correspondence has caused any concern or upset".But Snee denied the company could have managed the costs better, describing the situation as a "perfect storm"."The….

Keep talking to us."Ken Pearson says Curo have a responsibility to prepare leaseholders for large billsKen Pearson owns his flat in a different block elsewhere in Bath.He says his sinking fund contributions dropped to £124 per year when Curo took over his building, but then increased dramatically to £1,767 when a new roof was needed."We were only being prepared for the new roof when it was a matter of urgency….

"We should have paid over a longer period."Pearson took Curo to a tribunal over the sinking fund increases and lost his case, but now believes there needs to be a change in the law to ensure that landlords prepare leaseholders better for expected works."Curo have failed us and need to be held to account," he said.

"They have not picked up that there was this financial catastrophe coming along."In response, Snee said: "I think sinking funds have been managed as well as we can in today's world with all of the pressures on costs and contracts."He added: "If you've been building a sinking fund up and decoration has taken place, that would have potentially drawn quite a lot out."Then if you're looking at a roof replacement….

Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.Leaseholders' lives on hold years after legal order Housing association Curo defends large increases to leaseholder bills.