'Our flat insurance has gone up by £79,000'

A man who moved into an apartment block said leaseholders insurance charges had risen by about £79,000 in six years.

Semi-retired Michael Ferguson moved into his Spring View home in Peterborough in 2016 and has been paying service charges to Premier Estates, a management company appointed by developer, Morris Homes.

Since he moved in, leaseholders said insurance costs increased from about £14,000 annually, six-years ago, to £93,000 last year.

Mr Ferguson said: "It doesn't seem fair and premiums just keep going up and up and up." Premier Estates said it was committed to ensuring value and quality and charges remained under frequent review.

Mr Ferguson, who is also the chair of Spring View Apartment Group on the Vista Estate, said costs were more than £1,000 a year per apartment for insurance .

He added leaseholders did not yet have the service charge figure for the last year and expected it to rise to £6,000, although Premiere Estates said they expected it to decrease.

"Over the years we have seen it creep up," he told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire.

"We are very disappointed and there's a lot of things we have no control over... it's just scandalous."

Shaira said when her garden wall began falling down, developers did nothing to ensure her safety, despite paying her service charges.

For three years she has been unable to use her garden, something she often did to help unwind after working at a hospital.

She said when the crib wall, separating her garden from a railway line, began to come down she contacted Morris Homes and was told it was for Premier Estates to fix.

Last summer, a temporary fence was put up and has sectioned off a quarter Shaira 's garden.

Four years after the wall collapsed, she said there had been no resolution and questioned if she should continue to pay her service charge.

"It affected me mentally because I paid a lot of money for this property...I felt helpless which is why I got a solicitor involved because I couldn't do anymore," Shaira said.

"I work in a cancer ward, that is stressful enough without coming home from work and not being able to use my garden...a space a have paid for."

After having various surveyors at her house and back and forth emails, she said other people’s walls started to come down.

Shaira said nothing was done until she got a solicitor involved.

Spring View leaseholder, Kason Kalirai, said he felt "trapped" by the increasing charges and has been unable to sell his flat.

He put it on the market in December 2023 and in September 2024 he took it off after not having had a viewing since April.

Mr Kalirai said he could not take his daughter or partner on holiday and the increasing costs had "detrimental impact on personal life", as well as making him unwell.

Premier Estates said it issued estimated service charges ahead of each financial period and this year provided the levels of service charge payable.

It added concerns relating to the boundary crib wall at Spring View were immediately investigated with Morris Homes support.

It said: "We have engaged with a number of parties on this matter including Network Rail and the City Council and continue to support Morris Homes in ensuring the interim safety of residents, and in maintaining open dialogue with those affected whilst works are planned and undertaken."

A spokesperson for Morris Homes said it was alerted to issues with the crib lock wall in 2023 and responded immediately and decisively, prioritising health and safety with a short-term solution while investigating the root cause.

"While we recognise that the process has taken time, it is important we take the time to get this right," it said.

"Our commitment remains to fully resolve these issues at no cost to residents and this has been fully communicated.

"Once the final solution is defined, we will engage with residents to explain each phase of the work and maintain communication with those affected whilst works are planned and undertaken."

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