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But Mrs Hillgarth got back into first gear complaining, querying, refusing and networking her ambivalence to paying. Management had by now contracted with Lawrence for a start date of Sunday 31 August 2014 so time was tight as we had a provisional budget to pay of around £105,000 with only £98,000 in the bank, no overdraft facility, and fingers crossed nothing went wrong with the lift or anything else at Mitre House or indeed once the scaffolding had gone up and the Surveyor makes his first close inspection [as he had well indicated] he doesn’t return saying he’s found serious other defects needing fixing – thank goodness he did not, save for the windows of each flat needing attention.
Window costs, I would add, were charged to each Lessee, invoiced from Contractor, not MHML, and cheques requested payable to the Contractor, not MHML [save for Flat 1 who were very tardy on all accounts and MHML did pay their £750 for window repairs which they eventually refunded in full along with all other arrears]
One lessee had their roof aerial snapped off in high winds, other lessees wanted aerials or cable/satellite installed, Mrs Hillgarth seemed besotted with loose cabling throughout the block and Management recommended we install a communal TV Sky dish on the roof whilst scaffolding in place so all loose cabling and old TV aerials etc could be tidied up.
As such a quote was sourced, the cost agreed and after we explained that that if all lessees agreed we could dispense with a lengthy S.20 notice. I was miraculously all agreed and each lessee was invoiced and eventually all did pay, some with less enthusiasm than others but due to some scandal with Mrs Hillgarth permitting her tenant to install an illegally installed dish very unprofessionally on the roof she agreed to the communal install and was required to pay a quoted by contractor, Aerialtec, £250 to re-route her illegal install.
She was none too pleased either, as well as very very selfishly delaying the installer whist she insisted on other workings inside her flat whilst other lessees required to be in situ were desperately trying to get back to work etc.... very typical of Mrs Hillgarth, will little or no respect for anyone else than her and getting her pound of flesh for monies expended.
Then all hell broke loose when she was presented with the contractors invoice which I had to arrange so she could claim the VAT and she noticed Management had invoiced her [as we were quoted] £250 as opposed the correct £234....and she’d paid the £250 admittedly with the Police present but I think that might have been another occasion.... The keys, I recall.
Due to a strike organised by Mrs Hillgarth over payments of the agreed £2000, Management basically threw in the towel and said nobody has to pay and we’ll simply reduce the works – what else were we meant to do? – a few had paid so we offered to re-credited them.
Eventually all paid but it was as usual a fiasco of innuendo and complaints from Mrs Hillgarth.
Now the Water Tank. We use Houseman for our mains water tank which not only supplies Mitre House lessees but also believe it or not, the shops beneath.
On their tri-annual inspection for Legionella etc, which happened to be 2014 in the midst of our works thankfully, the operative showed me photos of the 60 year old tank and suggested in no uncertain terms that he could not justify an A1 report and suggested an immediate if not before modern safe replacement [and yes apologies all verbal] To say the