West End letters: Credit crunch | CityWest Homes | service charge

Publications by New Journal Enterprises

Home

Archive

Competition

West End Extra - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published: 9 October 2009

Why ask me to cough up so much in
the credit crunch?

• I HAVE just received the shock of finding out CityWest Homes have invoiced me £1,048 for a service charge period of six months.
When I first began paying the charge in 2001 it was at a rate of under £500.
Now my charge is almost double what I pay in council tax for the same period. Lessee’s are only allowed to complain about CityWest Homes to CityWest Homes’ complaint line, not the council or independent body.
Who is stopping this organisation from just charging more and more each year?
Why are they not following the council’s lead by actually helping residents during the credit crunch and trying to keep prices down?
The council have frozen the council tax bill, but CityWest Homes keep writing a blank cheque and expecting people like me to cough up the money.
Are they doing so much more than Westminster Council for lessee’s?
Why can’t they work to a framework of a £600 service charge?
I, for one, love living in Soho. Why not do away with the middle man and let council deal with residents directly?
Name and address supplied, W1

Send your letters to: The Letters Editor, West End Extra, 40 Camden Road, London, NW1 9DR or email to letters@westendextra.co.uk. The deadline for letters is midday Wednesday. The editor regrets that anonymous letters cannot be published, although names and addresses can be withheld.
Please include a full name, postal address and telephone number.
Letters may be edited for reasons of space.

Comment on this article.
(You must supply your full name and email address for your comment to be published)

Name:

Email:

Comment: