A Peckham resident was ‘shocked’ to discover she was paying service charges for an estate that was knocked down over twenty years ago.
Joyce Iyinolakan (pictured) has been living in a terraced bungalow in the North Peckham area for nearly four years.
She said since they moved in they have been paying a weekly service charge including for communal cleaning and outside maintenance – services they have never received because they are not on an estate.
“I don’t have an issue with paying service charges – but we are not receiving any of these services. We have not benefitted once,” she said.
It then emerged that she was being charged as if she were living on the North Peckham estate, which was redeveloped in the mid-1990s.
The regeneration scheme entailed the complete demolition of the 40-acre North Peckham estate of 1,444 council homes and included four adjacent estates, the Sumner, Willowbrook, Camden and Gloucester Grove estates – the last one of which Joyce’s home now sits on.
The services she was being charged for included estate cleaning, grounds maintenance and estate/common area lighting.
Joyce said she found out about the error by accident when enquiring about the Right to Buy scheme. “Last September, I called the ‘Right to Buy’ number on the council website to ask about buying our home,” she said.
“The lady on the phone informed me that buying our property would incur a service charge – to which I replied we are already paying that.
“Since moving in nearly four years ago, we have been paying a weekly service charge, which is added on to our rent cost,” she explained.
“The lady on the phone was confused and responded by saying we shouldn’t have been paying this. I was shocked.”
Joyce chased the error up and got an Ombudsman involved and was eventually refunded £2000.
But given that there are many similar properties around, Joyce became concerned there could be many other tenants paying these charges that shouldn’t be.
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A council spokesperson said: “It is correct that we overcharged a small number of residents in this area. Since we discovered the error, we have paid out both compensation and arrears to the tenants concerned. We are proactively contacting the others we believe we may owe money to and will be reimbursing them if this is the case.”
Some other residents dispute this, stating they the council has not been in touch with them, even though they are in the same position.
Cloreen Pluck, who lives in a standalone property on the same road as Joyce, next to a block of flats, said she found out about this from another neighbour. “I have been living here for nine years and I was not aware of these service charges,” she told the News.
“I have been paying service charges and have also never received any of the services,” she said.
“The council has not been in touch with me.”
One other neighbour, who has been living there for 23 years was compensated over £10,000.
The council said that anyone who believed they were wrongly paying service charges should contact their housing officer.
Joyce said that she has since received her letter informing her of the rent increases, which now have the service charges removed, but her neighbours still have it on theirs.
“They have removed the service charges completely from ours but conveniently increased the rent to almost match what they were charging for the service charges.
“Also, comparing our other neighbours’ rent increase letters, they still have their service charges on the letter with a planned increase. I also noticed we are paying more in rent compared to my neighbours, who all have the same two-bedroom property as us.”
The News has informed the council of Joyce’s new concerns over rent.