Pensioner takes on 'bullying authority'

Hazel Oliver took Sheffield Homes, which runs the city's council housing, to a tribunal over an annual fee it had levied on 2,200 leaseholders.

The Leasehold Valuation Tribunal ruled the flat 40 it had charged for a "management fee" - added to the annual maintenance charge that leaseholders pay for services such as grass cutting and general upkeep of communal areas - was unsatisfactory.

The tribunal said Sheffield Homes was allowed to impose such a fee but the judgement added: "The council do not prove how they arrived at that 40."

Instead it ruled the amount should be restricted to 7.5 per cent of the total service charge - taking the 40 down to 13.04 and saving residents across the city a total 88,000.

Hazel, aged 66, is celebrating a double victory over Sheffield Homes - after the same tribunal ruled an amount it was insisting she pay for double glazing to be installed at her home in Cliff Street on the Landsdowne Estate was double what was "reasonable".

She was told she must have the work carried out on her maisonette as part of the Decent Homes Scheme and had to use the contractors it had hired for the scheme at a cost of 6,147.59.

But the tribunal found that windows were the responsibility of the homeowner.

Hazel said: "I said to them that was extortionate, I cannot afford to pay that, I am a pensioner. But they said no, that was the price, and I had to pay it, I had no choice - it was a bullying attack."

But she was determined not to give in and shopped around to prove its quote was way above competitive pricing.

And after speaking with three different companies she found the cheapest quote - which met council specifications - for 2,585 covering all her windows and one door.

She took the quote to the tribunal which ruled that "the cost of the work was not reasonable" adding that a reasonable cost would be 3,000.

Hazel, who has lived in the house since 1983, buying it through the Right to Buy scheme in 1989, said: "I am very, very pleased - and not just for me but for other people who are easily intimidated by the council into accepting that they have to pay a charge they don't understand.

"I was very determined because I thought it was so wrong and I am glad that it all paid off."

'I was determined because I thought it was so wrong'

Hazel Oliver

Local councillor Jill Creasy added: "The problem with the windows raises the issue of how efficient the Decent Homes Scheme is. If a private quote comes in at half the price you really have to think, is this work good value? Especially when you would expect there to be economies of scale.

“It is of course a great concern to the leaseholders, but also to tenants and tax payers across the city that this is a government grant and it is not being spent very wisely.”

Sheffield Council, which organises quotes for work carried out under the Decent Homes Scheme and decides maintenance fees on behalf of Sheffield Homes, said it is appealing against the decisions.

A spokesman said: “We provide people with an estimate for the work proposed for their property. This estimate is subject to change, often downwards. The final bill reflects the charges incurred for the actual work done, following a rigorous checking process.

“It may be possible for a cheaper quotation to be received however this may not deliver materials and work to an equivalent standard. The work the council, Sheffield Homes, and partners carry out goes through a thorough process to ensure we get the best value for money. We take account of price, quality, the experience of the contractor, and the long-term durability of the work.”

He said the management fee of 40 covers direct costs incurred by the council to manage leaseholders’ properties.

“The fee is agreed by the leaseholders’ forum, and we know of other councils that charge three times as much. We are appealing the judgement so cannot comment on the possibility of refunds,” the spokesman added.