The Mega **Management Company** thread

pollyantic

I can't as i've sold up, but i'd be happy to give you the email addresses for the applewood committee if you need to contact them.
PM me

They meet about every 2 weeks in the pub in applewood

davidsworld

I have theory as to why Management fees are sky high in Danninger Built Apartment Complexes.

It seems to work as follows...
Danninger build Apartment Blocks.
RF or KPM or some other company manage the Blocks.
Your Lease probably has a clause like - when the last apartment is sold then an Owner can become a director - but until then Danninger has 700 votes.
The Problem is that, even after many years, part of the development is still not sold.
The ‘Common Areas’ (gardens, corridors, fire excapes) remain the property of Danninger.
Danninger holds on to 700 votes at the AGM/EGM.
Therefore, the Property Management agent holds a Proxy of 700 votes.
So they can charge whatever they please.

Anyone have any thoughts on this matter?

RainyDay

There are some provisions in Company Law to prevent a majority shareholder unfairly oppressing the rights of minority shareholders which may protect you in this case. I'm no expert on these provisions, but the basic principle is designed to prevent someone buying 51% of the company to gain a majority in all boardroom decisions and effectively controlling the company entirely but only paying for just over 1/2 the company. If your not easily intimidated, search the irishstatutebook.ie site for the companies acts and see what you can find. Or alternatively consult as solicitor expert in company law or company secretary.

badbrian

Hi. I am looking to see if someone can help me here.

I live in an apartment complex. We have a carpark with no gates and people are dumping cars here. I had this problem before and I was onto the council. They said they cannot do anything for insurance/legal reasons as the carpark is on private property. They suggested I go to the police. I went to the police. They checked to see if the car was reported stolen. As it was not they could not do anything.

I went back to the council. They reiterated that they could only do something if the cars are on public roads, in which case they would prosecute the people dumping. I get a brainwave and suggest that I could get the car moved on to the layby outside our complex. Guess what. They said they would prosecute ME for dumping! They suggested I go to the police…



I contact my councillor and he gets the council to come down and confirm that the car is dumped and we pay to have it removed.



It seems to me to be terribly unfair. One solution would be to get security gates but the outlay and maintenance would be prohibitive for a small complex. Any ideas anyone?

Sleepy

Ask for the name and address the car is registered in and dump it back on their property?

jman0

Strip and down and start selling it for spare parts?

iMax

I know I heard something before about removing the number plates & the council has to remove it within 48 hours as they then trace through the VIN

Peace

iMax wrote:

I know I heard something before about removing the number plates & the council has to remove it within 48 hours as they then trace through the VIN

I think you can do that, they won't remove the car unless the number plates are actually missing.

If it was me i would remove number plates and move the car to the road and call the council and innocently that someone has dumped cars outside you complex and its causeing a dangerous obstruction on the road. Mention also that there are no number plates.

Also get gates on the complex.

<Edit>
Unless the cops either finger print the car (which is highly unlikely) or go searching the locality for cctv footage of the car being dumped you will never hear of it again. And we all know how lazy assed the cops are.
</Edit>

MorningStar

Private property and dumping of all kinds is growing concern. Locals near us wanted to close the lanes because of drinking teens. They managed to sort it all out. but a new problem has come up. One of the houses that backs onto the lane was sold and the person did it up as a BB. No problem but they dumped all their building rubble in the lane and are refusing to clear it. as it is private property they only solution is civil court.
One lane over a small mechanic who used to do about 2 cars a week now parks about 20 the full length of the lane. In the UK they have started using the ASBOs to deal with these people. If/When ASBOs come in here I would expect them to get the same use.
Can the cops not help you by contacting the last owner. If the windows were smashed and the doors were open would it not be seen as an abandoned car or illegal dumping with a trail to it's owner.
You need gate one way or the other which isn't an extra expense just a standard one like a lock on your door. Without a gate you could get anything happening like drug taking

jhegarty

Peace wrote:

I think you can do that, they won't remove the car unless the number plates are actually missing.

If it was me i would remove number plates and move the car to the road and call the council and innocently that someone has dumped cars outside you complex and its causeing a dangerous obstruction on the road. Mention also that there are no number plates.

Also get gates on the complex.

<Edit>
Unless the cops either finger print the car (which is highly unlikely) or go searching the locality for cctv footage of the car being dumped you will never hear of it again. And we all know how lazy assed the cops are.
</Edit>

just move it so it blocks a nearby road (they won't be long moving it then)... how will they ever trace it to you ?

irlirishkev

iMax wrote:

I know I heard something before about removing the number plates & the council has to remove it within 48 hours as they then trace through the VIN

There was an abandoned car in my underground car park for a couple of years. Eventually I came home one day, and someone had towed it onto the road outside, and removed the licence plates.
Within a couple of days, the windows had been smashed and the interior was ripped apart. It was a pretty grim sight to have outside my complex door, so I emailed Dublin Corporation and described it. I get home from work that day, and the car is gone! Result.

K.

dublin16

Priory Hall, Terenure - €1500 per year
As tenants we have our own private management company - the original management company were only charging €800 but that left massive deficits each year -and they were using gardeners, bin collection companies that were way overpriced.
€300 of the total goes to a fund for long term maintenance.
The whole service charge thing is poxy - it can only go up further - i'm buyin a house next.

On a separate note residents of Priory Hall are under the delusion they live in Terenure - its defo Kimmage.

RainyDay

dublin16 wrote:

i'm buyin a house next.

Many new housing estates (particularly those with their own entrance gates) have service charges as well.

Victor

Buy some gates.

Talk to the cops about getting hte owners details, if necessary get a solicitor.

They said they would prosecute ME for dumping!

Yes, because you dumped it on the road. Would you sweep up litter from your driveway and throw it on the road?

jhegarty wrote:

just move it so it blocks a nearby road ...

I'm sure the Fire Brigade will be happy with this.

Rew

We had the same problem, **** all I could do but it eventually disapeared after about 8 months...

FX Meister

I'd have to aggree with the moving off the car to the outside road and removing the plates. But in the long run gates sound like a good option. So you have a management company? Why not approach them with your concerns.

Mailman

€400 management fee to management company who doesn't use an agent.
Simple two storey apartment block with no lifts or refuse service.
Insurance and gardening fees are all that need to be paid.

babaduck

We had a similar problem yesterday in a development we are almost finished building... car left in a spot that didn't belong to the owner & no sign of them.

I rang the local garda station & they were incredibly helpful. If the vehicle is not taxed, they can & will come to tow it away. As this car was taxed & insured, I contacted the driver's insurance company, who got the owner to call me.... and by god that car was moved in 15 minutes flat!!!

Billo

Does anyone know what the services cahrges are in Cork City and County? I have recently been quoted €1500 and thought it seemed a bit steep.

Homer J Simpson

I own an apartment in Raheen Limerick and have received an invoice for 744.40eur in charges. I live in one of 10 apartments above 7 retail units.

337euro of this sum is for insurance premium.

I have been told that this fee covers the following:

1) Lift Maintenance ( Rarely used as taking the stairs up the only flight of stairs is actually quicker!! ).
2) Windows Cleaning - once every 3 months ( I'm living there 16 months now and these have defo only been cleaned twice).
3) Cleaning of gutters - once every 12 months.
4) Lighting for Public areas ( 7 lights in total).
5) Hoovering of public areas - once every 10 days.


This fee does not cover bin charges and as there is no asigned parking spaces the owners of the retail units cover the cost of cleaning the Public car park.

I've decided to sell up by end of summer and buy a house instead.

badbrian

Thanks all.

Victor I agree that my dumping would in theory be wrong but I had only suggested it out of frustration. The council won't come on to private property to remove (and hopefully prosecute the owner of) the car but told me they would do so if it was not on private property. I thought I was reading between the lines. The guards would not give any information to me about the registered owner of the vehicle.

Babaduck I am glad you had more joy with the guards than I. This might be a route I can pursue again in light of your experience (was there a secret password/handshake I need to know about??)

FX Meister. I have approached the management company. And while they can remove the cars it means I as a management service charge payer have to foot the bill. It is not right.

babaduck

badbrian wrote:

Babaduck I am glad you had more joy with the guards than I. This might be a route I can pursue again in light of your experience (was there a secret password/handshake I need to know about??)

Eh... flirting over the phone with the nice garda in Kill of the Grange?? The nicer you are, the more you get back - and he even gave me the owners name so I could chase it up with the insurance company

The_Conductor

Mailman wrote:

€400 management fee to management company who doesn't use an agent.
Simple two storey apartment block with no lifts or refuse service.
Insurance and gardening fees are all that need to be paid.

Really?
Most management companies spend quite a bit on building maintenance (including painting/window cleaning etc) and refuse too.
I'm in a 23 unit complex- the Euro 400 you mention would not even cover our insurance bill, much less anything else. Our charge for the current year is 1,150 btw

Saruman

Try make good use of clampers?? Tell them some cars are parked illegally!! They will clamp it probably... Then its THEIR responsibility i think to remove to pound after a while

Mailman

block has 22 apartments.
New apartment block so little maintenance needed as yet.

The_Conductor

Mailman wrote:

block has 22 apartments.
New apartment block so little maintenance needed as yet.

Do you not run a sink fund- whereby you charge people more than you actually spend- so that when time comes to paint the entire complex, say 6 or 7 years down the line, that you don't get slaughtered that year? The painting of the complex would be one example of a periodic cost- others might be the replacement of gate motors every 8-9 years etc. These can be massive costs, that only occur infrequently (but in a recurring manner). We have a policy of keeping 50% of our current subscriptions as a sink fund for things like this. Even with this- we ended up severely in the red last year when we had to have new gates and a ramp installed (for security reasons, after a little chat from our insurance company- despite our lack of claims).

Victor

Saruman wrote:

Try make good use of clampers?? Tell them some cars are parked illegally!! They will clamp it probably... Then its THEIR responsibility i think to remove to pound after a while

But you / the managemnt company has to pay the clampers. Clamping is only of use agaisnt people who want their cars back.

Mailman

contingency fund is at 10K at the moment. didn't allow for it this year as it is first year company is in our control so want to get members used to idea of paying fee before building on fund. Very, very simple utilitarian design so not much maintenance needed and appear to be relatively well constructed which is rare these days.

The_Conductor

Mailman wrote:

Very, very simple utilitarian design so not much maintenance needed and appear to be relatively well constructed which is rare these days.

YE gods, I wish we had your builder.....
We're going to have to replace all the exposed timberwork outside (window frames and sills under doors leading onto balconies etc. Our builder apparently used untreated skirting boards, turned upside down, for sills...... If I met him down a dark alley with a baseball bat- he'd get an idea of my thoughts on his penny pinching.....

Beats

We've had a similar problem for some months. I informed the management company and it was also mentioned at AGM . In total about three cars abandoned in various states of collapse. Some may have been owned by tenants, but difficult to judge. In the last few weeks, two of the cars have been removed. I assume by management company, but not certain.

Next to the entrance of my parents house a vehicle was abandoned. We reported to Gardai as it was causing an obstruction. They have to seek owner which can prove difficult if vehicle not registered correctly(. We then contacted local authority environment department. Took about 6 weeks + before car was removed.