hi.... yes the residents in the houses feel that When they bought the house they were told that the fee would be €288 (or there abouts) but this increased to €468 for 07/08, and they say that the company could not give a breakdown as to why it had increased so much,from what i understand it went up to cover expanding costs..... the management agent couldnt give an itimised bill for just their section because we are all one estate....this turned into weeks and months and now it is the end of this year and the issue has never been resolved......is 468 a standard fee for a house to pay???im paying 1373 myself. for a 2bed apt...they also argued that i get more for my fee because they dont get bins,window washing,cleaning etc thrown in for their fee... i mentioned that their main fee is landscaping and street lighting,but they stil feel they are being overcharged...
also an interesting thread about the government taking over the new estates
http://www.askaboutmoney.com/showthread.php?t=76382
here is an excerpt...
Good news on the management company / agent front:
Irish Times 28/02
"Gormley's circular to send local authorities into a spin
THE CAT is going to be truly put among the pigeons by Environment Minister John Gormley's circular to the local authorities which gives them a deadline of June this year to update their policies in relation to taking housing estates in charge.
The minister wants the local authorities to meet their obligations and start maintaining non-gated housing estates around the country which will come as good news to many residents.
The rash of new estates built in the boom saw many of the local authorities wash their hands of them by insisting in the planning conditions that a management company be set up to maintain them.
This has caused mayhem in many estates with some residents refusing to pay their service charge on the basis that they shouldn't have to pay money for the upkeep of the grounds if the estate up the road is being maintained by the council for free.
The result is that many management companies go into the red and the estates become shabby around the edges.
But according to the Irish Home Builders' Association director Hubert Fitzpatrick this doesn't necessarily mean that residents can stop paying their charges. "If a management company has been set up, then charges are legally due," he says.
The current situation is that residents can request that the council take the estate in charge and if planning permission has expired for more than seven years.
Fitzpatrick says there are still situations where some sort of management company arrangement is needed, particularly where there is extensive landscaping which the councils generally won't take on."
The main principles now set out in the overall framework for taking in charge are:
A statement of the facilities that will be taken in charge and the maintenance services that will be provided must be set out and the issue of taking in charge must be addressed at the pre-planning stage with the approved design facilitating the taking in charge of core facilities;
Developers will be required, through the development management process /permission, to complete residential developments to a standard that is in compliance with the planning permission granted;
Planning authorities must take all necessary measures in this regard in particular through securing adequate bonds, inspection of construction and enforcement action when necessary;
The procedures for taking in charge will begin promptly on foot of a request by the majority of the residents in the development or by the developer, as appropriate. Protocols, including time frames, must be set out by planning authorities to respond to requests for taking in charge;
In general, planning authorities must not attach management companies as a condition of planning in respect of traditional housing estates;
In relation to older estates, priority must continue to be placed on resolving those estates that have been left unfinished /not taken in charge for the longest period.
_________________