ARMA now informed
By admin | January 20th, 2009 | Category: Past Articles | 6 commentsVisitors to TheTruthAboutSolitaire, in our quest to have our voices heard I have today e-mailed ARMA (Association of Residential Managing Agents) – who allegedly can deal with complaints with Management Agents that are their members.
Following all of your responses I thought I would bring it to their attention that problems that we are experiencing with Solitaire Property Management are not a regional matter, but a nationwide problem.
Below is the correspondence that was e-mailed to: info@arma.org.uk
Dear Sirs
I write with hope that you may be able to deal with the issues arising from Solitaire Property Management and Peverel Group.
I have contacted numerous Solitaire clients, who are sick to death with their inability to respond, deal with issues and quite frankly – take money for doing very little.
I am fully aware that ARMA is an organisation that Mr Middleburgh can more than likely influence – but enough is enough, his company is overcharging the elderly, increasing prices for work that isn’t being carried out and is putting unneeded pressures on residents that own their homes.
At present TheTruthAboutSolitaire is collating information from Solitaire customers to produce a report that will be supplied to all press agencies in the UK and Members of Parliament.
The information will not be from one person that can easily be palmed off, this will be from customers nationwide that will prove that these are not isolated instances.
Therefore, I cannot stress enough that should you fail to act, ARMA will also be tied to the Solitaire / Peverel issues, as we have brought it to your attention and you would not have assisted us.
For your information, we have followed the relevant complaint procedures and nothing has happened.
I look forward to a reply.
Admin @ TheTruthAboutSolitaire
www.thetruthaboutsolitaire.co.uk
Should I receive a reply I will duely post it here – for the meantime – keep sending and posting your comments!
From ARMA’s website, the Objectives of ARMA are interesting, have a read and I’d value your commened.
Remember – Solitaire Customers – You Are Not Alone In Your Plight.
Seems even the police have trouble getting Solitaire to rectify problems, even to assist in the reduction of anti-social behaviour at one particular development. Check this out – particularly the timescales involved to get some fencing repaired and planting in place to reduce unauthorised access:
http://www.essex.police.uk/yourarea/y_nap_print.php?napDistrict=8&napNpt=80&napNap=158&priority=&colorLight=
I have read this site with interest and send congratulations to the author. I am on a site in Hants having had ten years of unaccountable problems. I have teamed up with others having similar problems in Scotland. MPs’ have been petitioned to take up our cause. It is therefor necessary to account for all sites in UK with the same grief. I have been asked if I would address an all parlimentary group investigating this problem. So PLEASE I require the number of sites affected on a Regional basis 1. The Managing Company operating. 2. Nature of complaint(s). 3. Auditors of accounts. 4. Have you got draconian covenants in your deeds which appear contrary to The Human Rights or against your interest. 5. If you have complained to ARMA – OFT or Trading Standards – I have with negative results. 6. If you are a Registered Residents Association and been told to renew with the Man. Coy. on annual basis. I would very much appreciate this being done on a SITE or ASSn. basis + any other information that has affected the efficient running. This information is required URGENT as the meeting is likely to take place in Parliament late February. The law certainly needs changing together with accountability and power to sack the irresponsible irrespective of whether they own the ground or not. The art of communication, understanding and HELPFULNESS has certainly been lost within UK PLC. One last thought ‘we must look after those less fortunate than ourselves’ – for those who appreciate these sentiments.
Well knock me down with a feather!
I’ve only gone and received a response from Solitaire in reference to the queries I raised over invoices that I have interrogated.
I welcome people’s views and the Admin’s comments on the following:-
“I write further to your email of 12 January 2009 addressed to Anthea Moors but passed to me for response as Anthea is away from the office.
I am working from notes left by Anthea but also including my own comments. I would apologise if I am going over old ground but am not that familiar with your development and am therefore unsure as to what has and has not been addressed.
Invoice 131
Bridge Farm Walk has two service charge accounts – one for flats and one for the estate. The works detailed within invoice 131 should have been charged to the estate and not the flats. As you will be aware the leaseholders are obliged to contribute not only to maintenance charges for the flats but the estate as well. The owners of houses on your development are responsible to contribute to the estate charges only.
Referring to your comment regarding the mis-posting of invoices I am arranging for a further internal audit of the account to ensure all invoices have indeed been posted correctly and to provide you with the necessary documents to confirm the outcome of the audit. Webster’s, whilst a professional firm of auditors, are not estate managers and as such do not have a working knowledge of any given site. They are dependent on the property manager to advise them where invoices should be posted if it is unclear from that invoice which account it should be allocated to.
Pending the result of the aforementioned internal re-audit if any credits are due to the leaseholders such will be arranged without delay. To ensure that the lessees are not pursued for a balancing charge which may feature an incorrect amount I have arranged for a hold to be placed on the account for the flats and the estate until the results of the audit have been made known to you for your comments and observations then the homeowners in turn.
Invoice CR04 Clay Bottom
Anthea has commented in her notes that the contractor is not employed by Solitaire on any other development and that she recalls sending the works order for the requested works. This however, will be further investigated during our internal audit and resolved at that point.
We note your comments regarding the current economic climate and understand the need for the lessees to feel confident their money is being spent correctly. I very much hope that once we have completed our internal audit and any adjustments have been made, you and your fellow leaseholders will feel a little more confident in our accountability. That is not to say that in future years the accounts will not be scrutinised but hopefully we will be able to draw a line under the issues discussed herein and move forward to a positive working relationship.
We will do what we can to ensure any budget increases are kept to a minimum but would advise that increases are likely, even if they relate solely to inflation and adherence to Health and Safety Legislation, but increases in the cost of building supplies and fuel will also have an adverse affect on charges levied by contractors and invoiced to this company.
We very much hope we are able to provide you with the clarification you require and that you do not feel the need to investigate your right to manage. I personally will oversee the audit mentioned above and will gladly be your point of contact until these issues have been addressed once and for all. I intend to be in a position to provide you with the result of the internal audit within the next 21 days.
I trust you find the above agreeable but would welcome any further comments you may wish to make.
Kind regards,
CF AIRPM
Acting Regional Manager”
So from this they are bluffing me! Health and Safety Legislation? What the hell? Contractor increases?? They don’t visit and if they do they don’t do the job properly!
I’m fed up with Solitaire, residents are fed up with Solitaire and I cannot wait for the ‘Internal Audit’ to be carried out – so see what lies that comes up with!
Sheps, you will probably find that the Contractors, the accountants etc etc are all part of the Solitaire family. There should be an independant body appointed by the residents who then can appoint a Property Management Agent, whose accounts are accountable to the residents with three independant estimates. Syd Gill’s comments I agree with, and whatever I can do to help please ask fairyfabs@hotmail.com.
Sheps thank you for your assistance I have passed all details over to Admin.
Can I please ask all of you reading this site to contact your MP outlining your complaints in writing – and asking him/her to contact Gordon Banks on banksgn@parliament.uk The information has to be in by 26 January. Our cause is to be investigated by the All Party Parliamentary Group in February – it is in all your interests. ‘Pick yourself up – dust yourself down & do it’!!!!! – our future is in THEIR HANDS – May GOD bless all of us from incompetance & overcharging.
We did contact our MP, over a year ago & he has accomplished exactly nothing