Page 28 - 8_PBC to Begg OCR_8-4-16 (38pp)

In your letter to leaseholders dated 15 March 2016, enclosing your second quarter demand for 2016, you have advised the leaseholders that further electrical work/electrical metering replacement is to be done, and that further engineering work is to be carried out on the lift.
In November last year EDF wanted to replace our old meters in the basement with Smart Meters. They are scheduled to do this year and require our electrician to be present to change the main lead wiring as they are not permitted to do so. It’s a long one day operation for each Meter incurring costs.
Our regular annual Lift Insurance called Engineering Insurance with Allianz has reported the ropes on the Lift will need replacing this year incurring costs.
I am not obliged to be so transparent to Lessees but we are as we consider that to be good management. Advising of potential annoying costs is a service not an obligation and it’s typical of Mrs Hillgarth to yet again query everything as though we’re doing something wrong.
This was not planned expenditure and ought to have been encompassed within the refurbishment project. This is the last straw. The entire process has been utterly chaotic from beginning to end and demonstrates that you are not competent to handle the role of managing the property.
The two items mentioned hardly warrants a chaotic situation nor something that should have been included in works taking place in 2014 – these works were not known in 2013/14 and are scheduled for 2016.
Are we going to be in receipt from the likes of Mrs Hillgarth of queries over any expense/problem/repair occurring at Mitre House which they consider to have been done/identified/progressed during a work’s schedule two years ago? I hope not.
Mr Fortunati complained that, having initially told the leaseholders that refurbishment of the lift could not be afforded/included in the scope of the work, you had unilaterally chosen to paint the lift gold – a scheme you had proposed two years earlier and which the majority had already rejected. (The majority had voted for it to be painted dark grey or black).
As previously stated no Lift work was in the Schedule of Works –
There was no majority and certainly the grey or black was contested even by Mrs Hillgarth.
Apparently you did this work yourself, without any notice to the leaseholders, and before the actual works had started. Not surprisingly Mr Fortunati wanted to know who would be paying for the paint and for this unwanted/unapproved job. That question remains unanswered.
I did the lift myself with professional assistance within the agreed budget including the spray paint as indeed all and any works remained within the agreed budget and were paid for from savings and sensible economies having no effect whatsoever on the main works. You have already outlined certain savings made previously and that answers at least two economies and indeed both savings resulted in a far better job than that quoted for.