Management Company Agents

Pique

Hi,

I live in a relatively new estate in Letterkenny, and we just had our first Management Company meeting with the agents (who were appointed by the developers before we knew anything about it).
Basically, no-one who was at the meeting was very happy about the fees being charged by the gardener hired by the Agents, or the Agents fees themselves.

Can anyone let me know what kind of fees a gardener charges (per annum) to mow a green area and maintain planted beds?

Also, can anyone tell me, is €300 per annum a reasonable price for Management Company fees ? The residents think that it's excessive and that value for money is not being provided.

I would also be interested to get names of local Managment Agents (as the one provided by the developer is in NI, as are the gardeners appointed by the Agents).

Considering the state of the economy, I think we would like to pay a local guy to do the work and keep the money in the town (or at least in the country)


Thanks all,
Pique.

mrmac

Wow, I didn't know there where management agents in estates up here!
The estate I live in has a residents committee that collects money for the up keep
of the green areas. What estate is it, and are you bound to using an agent by some form of contract?

Senna

It might be helpful to know how many houses or apartments are in the development and roughly how many square meters of 'green area' are in the estate.

K-9

€300 per annum is cheap, but it depends on what they do, size of estate etc.

donegalman1

I'd check my sale agreement and refuse to pay if its not in it. If it is your solicitor at sale should have advised too. If its an apartment block they may have put something in but it sounds unenforcable without a clause in the sale.

Most estates form a residents association and organise grass cutting and then tidy up themselves a few times a year. €300 in Donegal even in the boom is rediculious for grass cutting per household, if thats all you get.

Most locally charge €10 to cut a garden and most plants in an estate require no on going work.

I have often wondered would it not be better to encourage some enterprise with the estate teenagers and pay them to do the green areas, probably be cheaper but would also encourage enterprise and a pride in their estate, I've missed our meetings so haven't suggested but I would not have a fee like that imposed on me. Our guy, charges €80 a cut for the green areas, I think its excessive but its tidy, and shared its not so bad, but still would rather the money used effectively.

It does depend on the amount of houses etc and what this so called 'managment' company do but I would do without them.

Oh and it would take them more than €300 to get the fees from you down the legal route, they wouldn't have a leg to stand on either if you have not agreed somewhere. Set up a resident association and it won't be worth their while trying to take you all to court either, or then negotiate.

For €50 a year per house our estate are tidy towns award winning

Pique

Thanks for the replies all.

There are approx 90 houses in the estate. Each pays 300 per year. The Agency fees are over €4000 for next year....for what ?

There is approx 1/4 - 3/8ths of an acre of green area all in, split into 4 areas. Shrubbery is not really an issue as there are very few weeds (and were very few before the gardener started) and this is included in the fees. There is also a small play area with swings, see-saw on a rubber tiled enclosed area which is subject to repeated childish graffiti "Chardonnay Luvs Jayson 4eva" etc...but this is the cause of substantial additional 'inspection fees' payable to the gardener (note: these are not repair/maintenance fees, but just to inspect 15m2 of a play area!!).

We (the residents) reckon that buying a tractor lawnmower and storing it in a residents garage woud be a far cheaper and more community-orientated idea. 1 or 2 people every week or so during the growing season would mean that you only have to do it once a year, each.

mrmac

Hang on, 300 x 90 = 27,000 euro!
Something not right there, sounds very expensive!

Pique

mrmac wrote: »

Hang on, 300 x 90 = 27,000 euro!
Something not right there, sounds very expensive!

Exactamundo !!!

Senna

Have you a residents association? If not i would set up a formal one now.

I'd also check the copy of the sale contract, i think management fees are normal put down as a percentage (rather than a figure) of the sale price per year (not sure, never dealt with them). I hope no one is paying the 300.

When you say 4k agency fees, what do you mean?

K-9

I thought it may have been an apartment block. 300 is high if it's only cutting grass!

What's the 4k Agency fees for?

Pique

The agency fees are just that....their fees for BEING the agent !!
When quizzed on it, their response was "well we register with the companies office blah blah blah" even though an accountant is paid to do the accounts and in my mind, they also are usually the ones to register with the CRO.

There'll be a peasants revolt yet !!!

We'll get a copy of the sale agreement and check it out....I'm sure there'll be a clause that we must have 'A' management company set up and all that, but this agent will no longer be ours if they can't justify €4300 pa.

Does anyone know any gardeners also that we could get quotes from for the maintenance of the areas, or Management Agents in LK to see what they would say?

mrmac

Not wishing to sound nosy - but what estate are we talking about?
Might as well "name & shame" the developer.

Senna

Pique wrote: »

Does anyone know any gardeners also that we could get quotes from for the maintenance of the areas, or Management Agents in LK to see what they would say?

You could try the back of the Dealer, under the services, i know there's landscaping companies every week but at this time of year there might not be too many grass cutters advertising.