Good evening
We have a dilemma in the small development of apartments and duplexes where we live and I hope that some of the wiser and more experienced posters here might be able to apply their considerable brain power to it.
In two blocks there are stairwells, each shared by two families. The stairwells, which are identical, are cleaned by a contractor who charges a flat fee for the four apartments and this is then included in the respective service charges. The two families in one block wish to withdraw from this arrangement and to themselves clean “their” stairwell. The cleaning contractor is not prepared to reduce their charge as they say that their price is their minimum charge and would be the same whether one or two stairwell is cleaned. The unfortunate consequence of this is that if one block withdraws from the arrangement, then the owners of the other block would be faced with a doubling of their cleaning charge. The wish to withdraw was mentioned at the AGM at which the budget and service charges were approved, and it was after this that the intention to withdraw was confirmed in writing. So that leaves us with a situation where, after the withdrawal of two parties, the other two parties whose service charges have been fixed at the AGM would have to face a doubling of their cleaning charges. They, incidentally, are not interested in taking on their own cleaning. Has anyone here on AAM any experience of a situation like this and its resolution?
We have a dilemma in the small development of apartments and duplexes where we live and I hope that some of the wiser and more experienced posters here might be able to apply their considerable brain power to it.
In two blocks there are stairwells, each shared by two families. The stairwells, which are identical, are cleaned by a contractor who charges a flat fee for the four apartments and this is then included in the respective service charges. The two families in one block wish to withdraw from this arrangement and to themselves clean “their” stairwell. The cleaning contractor is not prepared to reduce their charge as they say that their price is their minimum charge and would be the same whether one or two stairwell is cleaned. The unfortunate consequence of this is that if one block withdraws from the arrangement, then the owners of the other block would be faced with a doubling of their cleaning charge. The wish to withdraw was mentioned at the AGM at which the budget and service charges were approved, and it was after this that the intention to withdraw was confirmed in writing. So that leaves us with a situation where, after the withdrawal of two parties, the other two parties whose service charges have been fixed at the AGM would have to face a doubling of their cleaning charges. They, incidentally, are not interested in taking on their own cleaning. Has anyone here on AAM any experience of a situation like this and its resolution?