We’ve been given just days to pay £14,000 or we’ll be KICKED OUT of our flats & put on street – our Christmas is ruined

FURIOUS residents are taking the proprietor of their gathering to tribunal aft they were served a £14,000 measure for repairs and fixed conscionable days to pay.

Flat owners astatine Portland House successful Sheerness connected the Isle of Sheppey, Kent, person started ineligible enactment against the freeholder of their gathering aft they received a missive connected September 5 demanding £13,794 each for caller occurrence information works.

In the letter, owners were told they would look ineligible enactment if they failed to wage the staggering magnitude wrong a month.

Currently, flats connected the apical level of the converted bureau artifact bash not person a harmless occurrence escape.

Now, gathering managers Azure Property Management person told leaseholders of the 22 residential flats and 10 commercialized units they request to wage a stock of £441,000 wrong 30 days to physique one.

None of the leaseholders quality that the enactment needs to beryllium done to marque the gathering safer - but they judge they person not been fixed capable clip to stitchery the funds.

Some fearfulness they could suffer their homes and jobs successful the adjacent future, though this is simply a assertion Azure denies.

Georgie Sayers, 44, who bought the level 7 years agone said: "It conscionable feels truthful incorrect that a idiosyncratic tin enactment truly hard to get themselves into a presumption to bargain a flat.

"It's a 1 chamber level connected Sheerness High Street, it's not precisely a palace, however, it's mine.

"In this time and property to beryllium capable to get a owe arsenic a azygous person, connected my own, was thing I was truly arrogant of.

"And nary it conscionable feels similar that could each beryllium taken distant from maine conscionable similar that, done nary responsibility of my own.

"I could suffer everything, not conscionable my location but my occupation arsenic well."

The prison serviceman has attempted to enactment with gathering owners Azure Property Management to find a outgo plan, but each of them person been turned down.

She said: "It was connected September 5 we received a missive saying that we were going to beryllium incurring the costs for the occurrence information repairs, and that was the archetypal clip that we were told the magnitude and the information that the costs would travel to us.

"I'm not a ineligible person, truthful I can't talk to the legality of it, but that's benignant of what the archetypal tier tribunal is going to beryllium looking into - whether oregon not they person followed the process that they should person followed."

She added: "I cannot physically get that wealth from anywhere.

"It's enactment maine successful a presumption wherever I can't merchantability my flat, due to the fact that evidently I'm going to beryllium either selling it with the indebtedness implicit it.

"And that's if anybody would beryllium capable to get a owe connected it - what are the chances of uncovering idiosyncratic who wants to bargain it outright?

"I've approached my slope to spot if I tin get a indebtedness to screen the £14,000 which I was rejected for, which is simply a constituent against my recognition history.

"I went to my owe company, I approached them to spot if I could widen my mortgage, but they won't adjacent look astatine an exertion without an EW1S signifier - that Azure needs to supply but haven't."

Now, they person entered into a court process called a First-Tier Tribunal (FTT), which has bought leaseholders 20 weeks of breathing country from the immense bill.

Heidi Martin-Barshell, a section business proprietor and leaseholder of 1 of the flats successful Portland House, said: "The ailment has been accepted by the FTT and arsenic specified that limits maine to what I americium allowed to accidental due to the fact that I don’t privation it to interfere with immoderate investigations that the FTT whitethorn make.

"I volition corroborate that nary 1 is disputing that works request doing to bring this gathering up-to-date.

"However, we are questioning the consultation and wherefore we weren’t fixed capable accusation that we whitethorn beryllium liable for costs and the constricted clip to wage specified an astronomical magnitude of money.

"A 30 time request and threats of tribunal is unjustified erstwhile cost-of-living is the mode it is astatine the moment.

"Azure spot absorption aren’t moving to assistance immoderate of the leaseholders successful anyhow and are putting a batch of unit connected the existent leaseholders with passive assertive correspondence threatening tribunal enactment if the invoice wasn’t paid.

"We judge things weren’t done arsenic they should person been which is wherefore we decided to spell circular the way that we did."

STANDING STRONG

The leaseholders person present banded together, with a WhatsApp radical representing astatine slightest 14 of the owners providing affectional enactment during an incredibly stressful time.

Georgie said: "So it's been truly bully successful immoderate ways conscionable to get to cognize the radical surviving successful the building.

"That's the 1 bully happening that's travel retired of this."

Ramunus Bulodas, 49, bought his level astir 3 years agone - helium is terrified of the magnitude of wealth requested and fears what volition hap if helium does not pay.

He said: "I don't cognize wherefore we indispensable wage this bill. Because they are the owners of this building, this company.

"Yet we wage everything - a work complaint for them. Then we are asked to wage £14,000 again - it's not fair.

"No 1 explained erstwhile we bought the level we had to wage for the occurrence steps - we don't cognize what to do."

A spokesperson for Azure told The Sun: "There has been a lengthy consultation process with leaseholders successful narration to these works successful which they were made alert of the imaginable costs successful May this year.

"From the outset, we person not pursued immoderate benignant of enactment which would spot radical suffer their homes.

"It goes without saying that cipher wants this to hap and alternatively than prosecute ineligible proceedings we person reassured leaseholders of our committedness to offering the astir flexible outgo timeframe imaginable for those facing important fiscal difficulties.

“Following this, we recognize that a leaseholder whitethorn person referred the substance to the First Tier Tribunal (FTT). We would invited a reappraisal by the FTT to corroborate the works are necessary, and it is encouraging to perceive that leaseholders present admit this.

“We recognize this is simply a hard concern for everyone involved; it is not a people of enactment we person chosen, but a load that has been placed connected thousands of leaseholders crossed the UK owed to indispensable changes successful gathering information regulations.

"As a result, we person a ineligible request arsenic good arsenic a work of attraction to transportation retired these occurrence information works which autarkic specialists person told america we indispensable do.

 “We besides privation to emphasise that nary of the wealth requested is going to america oregon the freeholder. Every lb is being utilized to screen the costs of autarkic contractors and advisors who are not affiliated with the freeholder oregon managing agent.

"We stay dedicated to minimising the fiscal interaction connected leaseholders, making the gathering harmless for each residents, and ensuring transparency throughout, including astatine immoderate imaginable FTT review.”