A lot of new housing developments require those who’re buying a property to sign on to a community maintenance charge. With these, you’ll find that what you’re paying for is a company which will manage the communal areas in the community for a set fee.

This type of service is often essential for newly built housing developments, as communal areas can quickly become neglected, and slowly degrade in appearance, which then goes on to have a depressing effect on the entire community.

Unfortunately, there is a fair amount of near fraudulent practices in this industry, with many customers complaining of the little to no work being done despite receiving thousands of pounds for the services. In addition, there is even evidence of them hiding charges for additional services into the bill, such as fountain maintenance when the community has no fountain. Therefore, it is essential that you always review your bill extensively to ensure against this, and to involve neighbours in this as well.