Living with leaseholds
Sue is among hundreds of leaseholders who have contacted the 大象传媒 about a surge in the cost of their service charge fees.
Sue has lived in her one-bedroom, ground floor flat in Worthing for 11 years. In 2019 her service charge was about 拢750 a year. That's the bill for maintaining communal or exterior areas of a building. By last year, Sue's bill had risen to 拢3,198; an increase of 320% in four years.
New laws are going through Parliament to force building owners to make the bills more transparent, but many campaigners say they don't go far enough, and the system is being abused.
For 5 Minutes On, the 大象传媒's housing reporter, Tarah Welsh, has been to meet Sue and has been finding out what the companies involved have said about the increase in her bill.
Image credit: 大象传媒
