Management firm drops changes fees in Fernwood

After a long campaign home-owners in Fernwood will no longer have to pay to make alterations to their houses.

A £300 charge was paid to a property management company, FirstPort, for changes such as adding a conservatory, installing a satellite dish and solar panels, or planting trees.

Charges in the alterations and consent category of residents’ management agreements have been removed for freehold properties.

A restrictive covenant remains in place, which means permission is needed before changes are made.

At a public meeting some residents raised concerns that removing the covenant completely could mean alterations would be made that were not in keeping with neighbouring properties.

'Monumental victory'

Applications for consent will be decided in consultation with Fernwood Parish Council, which will work with FirstPort.

Resident Mr Warren Ringham said: “This is a monumental victory for the residents of Fernwood and the parish council, who have fought tirelessly so huge thanks go to them.

“The news is a welcome surprise. It is positive news on what is a negative issue among people in Fernwood.”

Mr Richard White, also of Fernwood, said: “This is good news. It has been a long time coming but we are now starting to see changes for the better.”

A maintenance strategy group set up by the Fernwood Residents’ Association and the parish council campaigned against the charges.

A £138 charge for changing mortgage providers still applies.

Permission for village fetes

Mr Jim Weale, parish council chairman, said: “We are still not entirely happy because some charges still apply.

“We also need permission to use the open spaces, for things like village fetes.”

Mr Weale said the council was still campaigning to remove FirstPort from home-owners’ house deeds.

Charges still apply for leasehold properties, including a £76 fee to apply to keep a pet.

A spokesman for FirstPort said: “The update we have made at Fernwood to remove the administration charges associated with freehold property alterations is a direct response to residents’ feedback.

“Requests relating to the freehold properties at this development are very occasional and straightforward.

“This means that the additional administration duties associated with making an assessment and granting consent can be handled by our dedicated on-site team with some additional training.

“As we are no longer using our back office resource to administer this, we are pleased to be able to pass on this cost-saving to our freehold residents by discontinuing the fees.”