I live in Alcester and I am a Leaseholder with South Warwickshire Housing Association. I have recently had my service charge estimation for the forthcoming year which totals £938. Last years was £230. The charge has increased dramatically due to SWHA costing repairs over a thirty-year period. For example, they are charging for re-pointing - £26,000 over 30 years divided by four flats in my block. I have had a professional quotation for the same works for £11,000. A staggering difference, especially as the builder said the work is unnecessary anyway. This is just one example from a list of works, so the total difference may be phenomenal.

I have involved John Maples MP, the Stratford Herald and the Chronicle, and am looking to set up an action group consisting of SWHA leaseholders to challenge their costings. SWHA have not been able to give me any answers as to where they get their costings from.

If anyone out there is interested in getting involved with a view to challenging SWHA, please send me a PM, or pop in to the Holly Bush Alcester Sunday or Monday nights and ask for me. I am hoping to get as many people as possible involved with a view to saving us all unnecessary charges.

Thank you for reading,

Tom Keeling

why do people post email and phone numbers? If this were a more active forum you would be opeing up yourself to such a vast amount of spam its untrue.

vB forums have a mode of communication called a PM, use that or point people to a website with a secure method of contacting you.

isn't this sort of stuff removed from posts by routine?

I remove or move things when I call in and see them.

TomKeeling, a big welcome to Warwickshire Online. Your choice of subject is another example of the way the public is being treated and having money extracted from them for goodness knows what purposes.

I have removed your email address and phone number for the reasons outlined by Optrex and suggest that anyone wishing to contact you do so by using the PM facility provided here.

Thanks Shiz, you are a star

please explain PM system

Working on the assumption that you are not about to pull my other leg and it plays jingle bells.... for the benefit of anyone who really doesn't know.... I just clicked on ronlyre's name on his post and bingo... a window to send a PM.

PM Private Message right. Got it.