Being asked for contribution

E30M3 · 23-09-2020 7:23am

dubrov wrote: »

To be fair, it was fairly presumptive if them to just go ahead and do it maverick style without any consultation. Their idea of making the place look better may not match everyone else's

At what point do you then proceed? When everyone has agreed? When everyone has responded? When Everyone who has made a Contribution Agrees? When everyone who says they will make a contribution agrees? When a Majority agree?

Sounds like a recipe for inertia and likely to end up with with no improvements being made. When are you ever going to get all residents to contribute and agree 100% on every detail?

23-09-2020 7:35am

dubrov wrote: »

To be fair, it was fairly presumptive if them to just go ahead and do it maverick style without any consultation. Their idea of making the place look better may not match everyone else's

No guarantees if everyone was asked that it would match everyone’s idea of how it should look. They asked for a contribution, it isn’t a demand, this is the point that most are missing. Every estate has a few people with the initiative to want to improve how it looks, and the knobs that think they are doing it to thieve from their neighbours. You think you don’t get the same issues when there are OMC’s or RA’s? You will always have people who refuse to pay, that is why subscriptions have to be so high each year.

I don’t see why the people asking for the contribution would have an issue with providing receipts. In fact, just to show the knobs, they should provide copies to all who contribute, automatically. When it’s finished, invite all who have contributed out for a drink in the common area.

antix80 · 23-09-2020 7:50am

€100 will get you a lot of flowering plants. 50 or more.
Or 4 apple trees. Or 10 small shrubs.

I'd contribute if they can provide a budget and an income and expenditure account.
They'd also want to have receipts.

dubrov · 23-09-2020 8:16am

E30M3 wrote:

At what point do you then proceed? When everyone has agreed? When everyone has responded? When Everyone who has made a Contribution Agrees? When everyone who says they will make a contribution agrees? When a Majority agree?

If the general feedback is positive, that would be enough. It is a shared space so making changes without flagging it first is a bit cheeky

CalamariFritti · 23-09-2020 8:23am

I'd be wary of anything that involves elaborate beds, mulch, gravel. I hate the idea of underlay with a passion.

Not only is it an awful and idiotic thing to do to bury plastic mats for the looks it also doesnt work and requires permanent and ongoing attention. Those €100 aren't going to be a once off, thats going to be a regular fixture.

Tell them to plant a couple of trees and shrubs on a lawn and be done with it. Something that requires grass cutting and no more. Offer a €50 once off.

E30M3 · 23-09-2020 8:37am

CalamariFritti wrote: »

I'd be wary of anything that involves elaborate beds, mulch, gravel. I hate the idea of underlay with a passion.

Not only is it an awful and idiotic thing to do to bury plastic mats for the looks it also doesnt work and requires permanent and ongoing attention. Those €100 aren't going to be a once off, thats going to be a regular fixture.

Tell them to plant a couple of trees and shrubs on a lawn and be done with it. Something that requires grass cutting and no more. Offer a €50 once off.

So you suggest 'telling' the volunteers what you want done and how much you are prepared to contribute? How do you see that playing out?

De Danann · 23-09-2020 8:54am

During the major lockdown, our neighbours decided it would be a nice idea to freshen up the grass verges and paint the walls on the estate. One of them knocked into us and explained what they were planning and told us if we wanted to contribute a tenner towards the paint and seeds we could pop it into their mailbox in an envelope, which we happily did.

I wouldn't be paying 100 euro for something that's already been done, without a tonne of evidence (receipts etc) and only if I considered the work to be a substantial improvement. They've done this whole thing backwards in my opinion and it all seems a bit dodge. €100 is a lot of money per house.

23-09-2020 9:11am

CalamariFritti wrote: »

I'd be wary of anything that involves elaborate beds, mulch, gravel. I hate the idea of underlay with a passion.

Not only is it an awful and idiotic thing to do to bury plastic mats for the looks it also doesnt work and requires permanent and ongoing attention. Those €100 aren't going to be a once off, thats going to be a regular fixture.

Tell them to plant a couple of trees and shrubs on a lawn and be done with it. Something that requires grass cutting and no more. Offer a €50 once off.

While I agree with you that if you pay the money, you are entitled to have your opinion considered, but if you really want to influence what is done, be prepared to volunteer your time and get your hands dirty.

I must admit, I’ve never associated mulch with over elaboration, the plastic helps to keep weeds down.

CalamariFritti · 23-09-2020 9:13am

True too. I'd just hate to get sucked into something overelaborate because someone else felt they wanted it. Its a tricky one.

Keyzer · 23-09-2020 9:45am

Not a chance...

BronsonTB · 23-09-2020 9:51am

We have this where I live and I do pay it. It is done by the resident association. The process is very transparent. €45 pa

But sounds like just a few got together & did work to improve the area without giving everyone a chance to have their say.

Good intentions but very very badly executed.

Advise them to get organised properly & form resident association first before sending any more letters or doing anything further in the common area's.

michellie · 23-09-2020 11:55am

Ours is €30 per annum and paid to the residents association. That's fine.

Your neighbours have done it arseways

Leftyflip · 23-09-2020 11:57am

Ha! Not a hope!

champchamp · 23-09-2020 11:59am

Who pays for cutting the grass in the common areas?

road_high · 23-09-2020 12:07pm

No way would I hand over €100 willy billy like this.
My estate has a yearly management service charge but I knew that when I moved in which is a separate thing really.
If they wanted to do this it would need to be agreed beforehand etc. Transparency of where the money is going. I’d say only a handful will pay hence the high amount asked for

jaffa20 · 23-09-2020 12:10pm

In our estate, there is over 100 houses and it's a 50euro contribution per year. It seems to be mostly for cutting grass really in the green areas which don't seem huge. I'm guessing a lot of people don't contribute so might be reason why it's more expensive. There were trees pruned during the winter so maybe that contributes to the cost also.

purpleshoe · 23-09-2020 12:34pm

There has been a number of posts that essentially state that by questioning this initiative you have no interest in your community, and how dare one question a person(s) get and go when you yourself have not be arsed to do anything.

I don't agree with this. You are absolutely right to query what is been done/planned and look for a breakdown. As posted by others, people tastes vary. A well intended feature could easily look out of place, and quickly become an eyesore after a winter or two. One step forward, two steps back.

Also by having a breakdown you will see if there is a charge for labour. Some people do over value their time, skills, and standing in the community.

brisan · 23-09-2020 12:48pm

Dr Turk Turkelton wrote: »

Lol reading this thread makes me see why so many estates are sh1tholes.
100 freaking euro and you don't have to lift a finger and the estate is improved.
I also don't get where people are saying 4k- I'd say they will be lucky to gather 1500.
I live in an estate of about 80 houses spread out with a few green areas. We gladly pay 100 every year and the residents committee who look after the place arrange for grass cutting, trees cut back and every third year the edges around the whole estate are done by a machine.
They also buy a lot of tools and one of the guys stores them in a work shop he has.
Also a bbq with bouncy castles etc every summer for the kids.
Great value in my opinion to keep the estate looking great.

Thats the difference
I assume the committee issue statements and financial reports

JimmyVik · 23-09-2020 12:48pm

Dav010 wrote: »

No guarantees if everyone was asked that it would match everyone’s idea of how it should look. They asked for a contribution, it isn’t a demand, this is the point that most are missing. Every estate has a few people with the initiative to want to improve how it looks, and the knobs that think they are doing it to thieve from their neighbours. You think you don’t get the same issues when there are OMC’s or RA’s? You will always have people who refuse to pay, that is why subscriptions have to be so high each year.

I don’t see why the people asking for the contribution would have an issue with providing receipts. In fact, just to show the knobs, they should provide copies to all who contribute, automatically. When it’s finished, invite all who have contributed out for a drink in the common area.

Where I used to live what happened was that someone came around and asked everyone would they like to join a residents group for improvements to the area. After that they set up a whatsapp group with the people who wanted to join. Then they posted a proposal and a detailed quote of the work that needed to be done for it.
They asked for a portion of it from each house before the work was done.
They had a shortfall of a few hundred euro, so adjusted the amount that could be done and sent that to all of the people who contributed and asked would they like their money back or go ahead. Everyone agreed, so they went ahead with it. And it was a lovely addition to the community.

tom_murphy112 · 23-09-2020 1:03pm

champchamp wrote: »

Who pays for cutting the grass in the common areas?

Currently done by the county council

tom_murphy112 · 23-09-2020 1:43pm

Also talked to about 4 people in the estate. None of them were impressed with how it was done and only one out of 4 of them contributed. Most of them cited, still haven't gone back to work fully and also the back to school cost.

Mrs OBumble · 23-09-2020 3:58pm

tom_murphy112 wrote: »

They are adding two benches for folks to sit as well.

And who's gonna deal with the ASB complaints once local teens start hanging out there?

Gael23 · 23-09-2020 4:13pm

I would be happy to contribute towards materials but not for the work

er1983 · 24-09-2020 8:25pm

tom_murphy112 wrote: »

I would like peoples opinion here, we live in an estate where we have a common green area. Couple of the locals decided to do up the green area - put some underlay, mulch, flowering plants etc. We thought maybe some of them had some free time and decided to do it up.

Well 2 weeks ago we got a letter saying that such and such was done and they are looking for €100 contribution towards it. With plans to add more improvements over the course of the year.

The letter wasn't a demand, but merely a request for the work they did. There are close to 40 houses in the estate, so if everyone would donate that will be €4,000

I don't feel like contributing, but the OH says we should - considering we live in the estate. What are people's thoughts on this ?

All residents should have discussed 1st before anything done & then quotes gotten on what is agreed. But its voluntary to make a payment to residents committee, legally you dont have to at all

brisan · 24-09-2020 10:00pm

er1983 wrote: »

All residents should have discussed 1st before anything done & then quotes gotten on what is agreed. But its voluntary to make a payment to residents committee, legally you dont have to at all

problem is its not a residents committee
Its a few neighbours off their own back

Being asked for contribution

Comments