A retired teacher says she has been forced back to work to pay soaring service charges on a one-bedroom flat she bought for her vulnerable son.
Deborah Anderson, 63, claims she is now forking out almost £4,300 a year – including more than £1,000 towards a car park where she says her son’s flat doesn’t even have a space.
She bought the property in Lisburn Square, Northern Ireland, in 2018 to provide a safe home for her son Ross, 37, who is a vulnerable adult.
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At the time, Deborah says the annual service charge was around £1,200.
But she claims the bill more than doubled to £2,800 in 2020, plus £250 for insurance, after the way costs were divided between the residential and commercial parts of the development changed.
Deborah says she had no warning of the dramatic hike and only discovered it when the bill landed.
She now claims to pay almost £4,300 a year, including around £600 for insurance.
“Every time we get correspondence from the managing company, we feel sick before we open it as we don’t know what it is going to contain next,” Deborah, from Lisburn, Northern Ireland, told Need To Know.
“It’s quite shocking.
“We aren’t talking about a few pounds of your money, and you don’t know what it’s going on; we are literally talking thousands of pounds every year.
“We’re paying it out of our retirement savings.
“I was a teacher, and my husband worked in IT, and both had private pensions, and I’ve gone back to work part-time.
“It’s the fear that we have no control over our finances.
“It’s money we thought we’d have to enjoy our retirement, but I’m working again to help pay it.”
Deborah says she has also faced unexpected “balancing charges”, including one of more than £1,000 in November 2024, which she claims came with just 28 days to pay.
Residents were eventually told the 2020 increase was caused by a change in how costs were apportioned between the residential and commercial parts of the development, according to Deborah.
But she claims they were not consulted or given an opportunity to challenge the change.
Deborah says residents were eventually shown how their share had changed, but claims figures were largely based on estimated values.
She also alleges they have struggled to obtain detailed breakdowns showing exactly where their money is being spent.
Deborah said: “We have no correspondence with the landlord, who refuses to speak to us.
“Currently, the managing company are not responding to any emails either.
“We think less money is being spent on the upkeep of the apartment.
“The carpet on the stairs in my son’s block has holes in it which are a tripping hazard.”
She also claims the names of spending categories are frequently changed, making it difficult to compare costs from year to year.
One of Deborah’s biggest frustrations is the development’s car park.
She says residents were told in 2023 that their share of its electricity costs would rise from 19% to 64.5%.
Deborah claims she previously paid nothing towards the car park because her son’s apartment does not have a parking space.
But she says she now pays more than £1,000 a year towards its running costs.
Deborah said: “The car park is now incorporated into the budget, so for example, the electricity was over £35,000 including the car park where the lighting is kept on 24 hours a day.
“We were told the electricity in different areas was being metered so they could see what is used, but we don’t see that.
“Also, we’re told we will be told how much has been spent on repairs but not what those repairs are or where they are.
“Cleaning and security are very vague too.
“We’re billed for office charges.
“What office charges are we billed for?
“I think it is totally unreasonable that we are charged 64.5% of the costs of the car park.
“I don’t even have the right to park here, yet I now have to pay over £1000 a year towards running it.
“Also, we are now charged for the lift between the public area of the square and the car park, as well as the three lifts to the car park in the residential area.
“We are also charged for any vandalism to the public area that leads to the car park.
“Surely these should be paid by the landlord who receives an income from the car park.
“I also feel the insurance is far too expensive.
“I’m paying £600 a year for buildings insurance when all I have is a one-bedroom apartment.”
Deborah recently complained about Ambit CRE to the property redress scheme over “lack of budget information and repairs”.
She says Ambit CRE has told residents it is working within the budget, while the landlord has not signed off its new budget.
Deborah also believes the soaring charges are making properties in the development harder to sell.
She added: “I don’t feel I could sell the apartment.
“I think I’d have to sell it at a loss but also, morally, I would feel bad about passing the problem on to some other unsuspecting person.
“Other apartment sales have fallen through when buyers realise that people have to substantially reduce the price of their apartment or sell through an auction.”
Ambit CRE has been contacted for comment.
