DARTFORD MP, GARETH JOHNSON, LEADS CAMPAIGN TO REFORM PROPERTY MANAGEMENT COMPANIES

By Gareth Johnson MP

Many of the newer homes in Dartford are managed by property management companies. These companies impose fees on renters and owners, to pay for the upkeep of communal areas and other amenities.

In recent months, the number of people writing to me to complain about property management companies has risen considerably, with a quarter of all requests to my MP’s surgery now relating to this issue. Residents have very little, or no say at all, about how much they pay, how these companies are run and what their money is spent on. People in all areas of Dartford, including The Bridge, Ingress Park, Stone, Ebbsfleet and Bexley Park, have come to me with a wide range of problems they are facing with property management companies. One of the key issues is that many home buyers are not aware of the full impact of what they originally signed up to.

Some of the main complaints relate to large fee increases without consultation, paying large fees for little work and the fact these management fees are making properties hard to sell.

Constituents have told me the contractors hired to carry out work are unaccountable for their work, with much of the work done seen as poor value for money.

Many residents have told me they would like to take over the running of their property management company or to change to a different company, but this can be almost impossible to achieve and allows property management companies to operate as a monopoly in their area trapping residents in an unfair situation they cannot get out of.

Residents living on these estates in Dartford are paying full council tax as well as maintenance fees, effectively paying twice for many of the services and it is right they should be able to challenge what they pay for.

Over the past few months, I have raised this issue in Parliament multiple times and the Government has made a commitment to bring in legislation in the King’s Speech this autumn.

As I said in Parliament, there is no way of avoiding exorbitant fees, no right to challenge and no conceivable way of changing a property management company. It is effectively a licence for these companies to print money and if we do not legislate, we will create a legacy that will stay with the British housing sector for generations to come. We should not allow people to be treated this way for simply wanting a nice new home to live in.

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