The agent is using the pandemic as an excuse for rising costs and delayed repairs. Is there a way to challenge the escalating bill, and can we change our managing agent?
When Kirsti Overton and her partner Chris Penfold bought their £150,000 three-bedroom flat, they were over the moon finally to own a home together. But five years on, they have been forced to sell up because their service charges have nearly tripled.
A Money Mail investigation today reveals how some firms appointed to manage properties are cashing in while leaseholders are seeing bills soar to unaffordable levels.
There are also fears that residents are being hit with rising charges by mistake. Some firms have been forced to refund residents tens of thousands of pounds after charges were found to be unjustified or made in error.
Meet the growing numbers of home owners who are the victims of sky-high service charges: dailymail.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from dailymail.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
There were fresh demands for action to stop gazumping last night after more than a third of house sales were hijacked by a higher bidder in the last year.
Two in five buyers admitted securing a home by putting in a better bid after a sale to someone else was agreed but before contracts were exchanged.
The practice, which is not illegal, was the leading cause of property deals not going ahead in the last 12 months, says comparison site Comparethemarket.com.
It comes amid a buying frenzy which began as the market reopened in May last year and was boosted by Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s stamp duty holiday.