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Tenants

Renting from Housing Associations

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    • Housing associations were very popular during the 1900s as they offered affordable rental prices. Many of us were fortunate enough to rent flats from them. However, the drawback to it is that you have to pay for every repair and upgrade made to the entire building, not just your accommodation. If the main entrance door breaks down, you have to bear part of the cost of repairing it because it is part of the service charges mentioned in your rental agreement.

     

    • Every new feature installed or the additional work done in the building is billed to you through the service charges billing section whether you like it or not. As a result, you are constantly praying for things not to go wrong, which is a constant worry in an apartment complex. It becomes a nightmare, especially if your neighbor, who you don’t like so much, is responsible for the repair. However, the positive side to it is that flats and buildings are better maintained as compared to council housing accommodations. However, the question is; at what cost?

     

    • The not so attractive part of housing association accommodations is the constantly rising service charges which keep on increasing with each passing year. The main reason behind this: administration and maintenance fees. This is because some people don’t know how to respect what they have.

     

    • Some time back, I was renting a flat with a garden. The housing association refused to clean my garden, saying that it was a private garden whose access was restricted to me alone. So, I was responsible for the maintenance of my garden, which was understandable and made perfect sense.

     

    • But I was expected to pay for the maintenance and cleaning of the communal front garden. The communal garden has 3 plants and 8 private parking spaces. I did not own a parking space, but I was told to pay for the maintenance of these spaces. I argued and pointed out these facts, but I could not win. So, be aware when you sign a contract with any housing association.

    Checklist

     

    • If you want to rent from housing associations, please be aware that the cost of service charges can drastically increase over time.
    • Your ability to give an opinion on how the building is run is limited.
    • You may get frustrated when your neighbours are inconsiderate and are the cause of constant repairs.
    • The rent is affordable and the building is well-maintained.
    • Housing associations are more flexible when dealing with rent arrears. They tend to work with the tenants to resolve the issues.
    • Repairs are addressed in a short period of time.

     

    by: tenancy solved uploaded July 5, 2017