Kettering new estate residents sent 32 per cent service charge demand meet with management

Residents living in homes built on Kettering’s eastern urban extension – Hanwood Park – have attended a meeting to discuss the increase in service charges that they say came as a shock.

More than 60 people packed into Hayfield Cross Primary School to question the management team about the hike to pay for 2024’s maintenance in shared areas.

The meeting had been called after residents were sent bills that saw their charges rocket by 32 per cent for the annual fee to be paid to contactors Ground Solutions who maintain public open spaces.

Chris Langdon, project director of Hanwood Park, fielded questions from residents wanting to know why their bills had been delayed and why they had risen so steeply.

Admitting he felt a ‘little intimidated’, he said: “It could have been handled better. I’ll put my hand up – the comms hasn’t been good. Communication is tricky with hundreds (of people).”

Many, but not all residents of Hanwood Park, have seen their bills rise from £170 for 2023 to £225 for this year - in 2022 it was £130.

‘Parcels’ of land developed by different builders have left some residents paying charges for services they don’t benefit from in their immediate vicinity. Currently 900 homes pay the service charge, with 320 properties that do not. Added to 2024’s bill is the maintenance of the attenuation pond used to store surface water to prevent flooding.

Verges, parks, footpaths, hedgerows, bridleways and dog poo bin emptying are paid for from the charge. Budgets are set the previous year depending on the number of houses completed when calculations are made.

It is hoped that eventually all 5,500 homes on the development will contribute to the costs – each paying a fee.

Resident Ben Jenkinson, who moved to the estate in 2020, attended the meeting hoping to find ‘facts’.

He said: “I think that the meeting confirmed what I thought – Facebook is a terrible way of hearing things. I wanted some facts. The charge going up is unfortunate. If the charges were going up because of inefficiencies that would be a problem but I understand why it has increased.”

But some residents are not happy with the service provided, including Steve Cowley who purchased a Persimmon build home in May 2023.

He said: “As part of the settlement we where advised of a site maintenance fee of £170 per annum. We were advised this was for the upkeep and maintenance of the site by a private contractor in order to maintain the ‘high standards’ of the new build estate. We paid this pro-rata for the months left and assumed a small increase this year of maybe five per cent, similar to the cap on council tax.

“From our point of view we are paying Ground Solutions but get nothing in return. They do not do work in our part of the estate and we do not use the play areas, other green areas or the lake which they look after in other areas.

"We are therefore paying an annual fee to subsidise non-paying households and for the benefit of other residents in other parts of the wider estate, but get nothing where we actually live. This appears completely unfair and unjustified. The whole system is flawed.”

The Persimmon part of the estate had been due to be handed over to Handwood Park in early January 2024, but this should take place by mid-February.

Mr Langdon promised the residents that they would receive 90 days notice of the service charge. He also invited residents to join a panel to feedback information to the management and maintenance teams.

He said: "We don’t make any money out of the service charge. I want to see the money being used in the best way. As the development has grown in size and due to increase in scope and cost base we have had to increase the service charge forecast this year by approximately £1 per week. While we would have rather not done this we have had little option in order to ensure the provision of services to the estate and our cost base remains competitive and below that of several of our competitors.

“We hope that we will be able to identify cost savings as we recognise that homeowners have stretched budgets and have also offered a payment plan.

“Moving forward we are establishing a resident panel to engage in a discussion on what services are tendered, provided and how.”

Residents were invited to the regular estate team walkabouts and to the next meeting on February 20.

Musician Wilby Meadows, who lives on the estate, said: “I have no problem with the charge at all. It’s only 60p a day. I think they do a great job.”