Service Charge Estimate 2023 & Communication
As you hopefully all know via a letter from FirstPort, Emma Offei will no longer be our property manager. She hasn’t left, but they have adjusted the development each of them is responsible for. Our new property manager will be Harry Stanbury, his email is harry.stanbury@firstport.co.uk.
We have emailed Harry as we would like him to come to walk the site with us. This is to ensure he is as aware as Emma was of all the issues we are awaiting rectification of by Persimmon prior to the adoption of the remaining communal areas. We will also be seeking answers to the outstanding questions FirstPort hasn’t responded to. They have said that Emma will pass on previous communication, but we would like to make sure this happens. Copy of the email is here
We have also requested answers regarding the Estimate Charges for 2023. Most have now received their invoices via the My Home portal, by email, or by post. A full copy of the charges can be seen here with the main estate charge overview below.
The main estate charges are £187.10, overall a 9.5% increase on last year which was £178.14 prior to a credit being applied that brought it down to £149.31. This credit was because of excess funds and non-adoption of all communal areas. Flats and 2 properties with shared courtyard parking will have different and greater amounts to these.
As detailed in the email to Harry as far as we are concerned there is no reason why there shouldn’t have also been a credit this year as well. Along with the fact that we haven’t been provided with copies of final accounts for 2021 which advise where funds were spent. This they are obliged to do as part of our TP1 Transfer Deeds.
Some of us are refusing to pay until this issue is rectified and a correct statement of account has been provided. We would like to encourage others to also raise this issue. I hope it will assist us in being listened to and the matter being resolved quickly. However, it needs to be your own choice what to do with regard to payment of the 2023 bill. All we can say for reassurance is that our TP1 Transfer Deeds do state that they must advise us of any action before it is undertaken against us with regard to recovering unpaid debts.
The My Home Portal is FirstPorts’ preferred method of issue-raising and communication. The benefit is that it is logged centrally and should be less likely to be ignored. To reach the portal go to myhome.firstport.co.uk. You need to register for your account and will need your customer reference number from a previous FirstPort letter.
If you are not comfortable with the online portal, you could email help@firstport.co.uk or harry.stanbury@firstport.co.uk instead.
On this link there is a copy of text from the message some have put on My Home Portal, feel free to use or adapt it if you too would like to raise the issue.