What is the purpose and mission of the Residents of Newhall Community Action Group?
We have come together as like minded residents who wish to make a change, so that we as residents can gain control of:
how our Newhall estate is managed
how our service charge money that we pay is spent across the Newhall estate
have 100% full visibility and transparency of all invoices, supporting documents, actual expenditure, tenders, contracts and terms entered into on our behalf, decision making process and decisions made, etc as per the intention of what a Residents Management Company purpose is supposed to be
Residents of Newhall Action Group Meeting Tuesday 27th February 2024 at 6:30pm start
Venue: Playhouse Theatre 1 Harlow Town
The problem statement...
At present the Newhall Residents Association Limited Company and service charge is not run in a manner that is a true purpose of a Residents Management Company.
Zero visibility and transparency is provided to all residents as should be the case with a true Residents Management Company
Tenders and contracts are undertaken, agreements and costs entered into on residents behalf, decisions about changes to areas within the service charge spaces are all undertaken for the past two decades without consultation with all residents. As such, contracts are entered into and increases to services charges are made and zero transparency or detail on what is actually included or changed to now be included within our service charge is provided, no decision making process properly explained with supporting evidence of such, zero proper consultation and engagement is ever afforded to all residents.
This year alone for example, Newhall Residents Service Charge arrived late (in breach of contract again) in late January 2024 informing residents for the first time that the cost to residents had suddenly been increased by 17.5% . This is well above the current level of inflation that from 11% in 2022 has gone down to 4% as of January 2024. Even after the residents meetings held on 22nd February 2024, zero transparency is being afforded to residents, zero justification is being provided to residents and zero evidence in the form of detailed conveyance plans to evidence and justify the costs and what has changed to be included year on year is simply just not being shared with residents.
Newhall Residents Association Ltd and SHW, the appointed managing agent and Estate Manager have been issued with a series of 14 Days Notices to provide full transparency of information to residents on the financials - invoices, supporting documents, etc and the tenders, the breakdowns of costs and the detailed conveyance plans upon which any tender must be based. To date, Newhall Residents Association Ltd and SHW have failed and refused to provide the information within the 14 Days Notice periods. As the tender for the biggest cost to residents is already in progress again this year - being Landscaping and Maintenance - as the contract expires at the beginning of April 2024, you would perhaps be forgiven to maybe thinking it would be very simple for the managing agents SHW to press forward and send to residents on the detail that has already been sent out for tender...
After much dialogue and persistence from residents on the matter at the residents meeting on 22nd February 2024, the Managing Agent SHW have stated that only residents who have sent into them the 14 Days Notice email will receive in one weeks time (by 5pm Friday 1st March 2024 the detailed conveyance plans and tenders). Update: Newhall and the Managing Agent SHW and the Estate Manager have all failed to provide the detailed conveyance plans and tenders of such year on year to determine the scope of the service charge works year on year for the decade+.
It is recommended to all residents to send and formally put on record for your property each of the Action Group emails which you can find here.
Why is this recommended?
There is strength in numbers. Our voice as a community of residents become less easy for Newhall Projects, Newhall Residents Association Ltd and SHW to keep ignoring as we grow in delivering the same, consistent message together.
From a legal perspective and the premise of Newhall Residents Association Ltd and SHW continuing to ignoring the fundamental premise of what is a Residents Management Company, we each have on record on our property file our reasons for payment under protest meaning this protects and enables us to claim refunds where applicable as the information becomes provided and where an audit review of information identifies these are due.
Please take a few minutes to read our Welcome to Newhall SHW Ag (Action Group) which shares some key information and info about some of the key points that we are trying to address and resolve together.
Serious issues some of our residents within our community are facing and unnecessarily having a negative impact on their well-being...
Failing to provide valid building insurance certificates to residents and freeholders to enable building repairs
It appears some of our residents have to experience for a year of their life living each day in fear of what the sky looks like today, are the clouds grey and looking like rain? Why? Because of living with persistent roof leaks into the living space, onto kitchen worktops where electrical goods reside, through the ceiling and into the floor and through the next ceiling below, damaging the fabric of the building...as the one very destructive natural element is...water!
What is the answer I hear you perhaps say?
Why not contact the buildings insurance to let them know perhaps you say? Start a claim and get an assessor out to get this fixed a.s.a.p?
Here's why and this is important...because it appears that even despite a 14 Days Notice that expired on 22nd February 2024, even despite requesting repeatedly this very action for circa a year, the residents and the freeholder appear to still not be allowed by SHW managing agent a copy of the buildings insurance for their building nor it appears to start a claim.
What is the answer?
Well perhaps you have guessed wrong in this instance, as it appears the answer for circa a year by the managing agent SHW is to send in a contractor to paint over the ceiling below the leaking roof and it appears leave the leaking roof for the residents of the building.
Perhaps they just forgot to issue the standard head worn umbrellas so you can forget once indoors that rain drops are still dripping on your head....
What action happens next...can you guess?
The managing agents SHW/Newhall Projects solicitors then play the scare tactic and send a lovely letter to say they'll "respond substantively in due course" and yes perhaps you've now guessed it...still it appears no sight of the building insurance certificate being provided.
If things can't get worse...
The pipes of the building are found to have a leak, with a chunk of the bathroom ripped out. The contents insurance says...you've perhaps guessed it...this is covered by your buildings insurance we're afraid and not the contents. Contact your buildings insurance provider.
What's the alternative?
You may have guessed it again...residents appear to be being asked by SHW and Newhall Projects to instead of making a buildings insurance claim, during a cost of living crisis, to dig deep into their own pockets and pay to fix and do the repairs!