00:00It's killed me isn't it? It's very scary. I don't really know what to do. Some people have said to me
00:05I've got to walk away from this because if I don't then I'm just going to have a breakdown or something
00:08something's going to get. This is, this seems illegal. It was part public meeting, part group
00:15therapy session for those living here at Ingress Park as dozens crammed into this tiny room to
00:23find out how they could fight back against their estate management company with residents saying
00:29they're paying hundreds of pounds a month and getting very little in return. The service is
00:35just so substandard. The communication and transparency is just so bad. When I moved here
00:40which is about 10 years ago it was something like 120, 130 a month. I think now it's over 300, 300 plus.
00:47You know people can't sell their apartment blocks anymore simply because of the first port and the
00:53service charges. There's already several blocks here at Ingress Park ready to give first port their
00:59notice but organisers of the meeting hope those will simply be the first of many. Ingress Park is
01:07taking back control. We are going to bring this site together and you know our blocks are going to be
01:14taking control of their finances and we want the service charges down and we want the level of
01:20workmanship up. The right to manage mechanism for getting rid of estate management companies is
01:28just for those living in blocks of flats rather than the wider communal areas. But even the owner of
01:36Ingress Abbey says that the management of those spaces isn't where it should be. We're fine with paying
01:43reasonable charges as long as we get workmanship support communication commensurate with that and
01:51and the workmanship isn't great. The communication is is tricky. Lots of butt passing and you know not
01:56my department and everything is laboriously slow to resolve. A spokesperson for the property management
02:04company says that their priority is to keep communal areas at Ingress Park safe and well maintained.
02:12stating that the service charge is calculated to carry out the works required over the year ahead
02:19and are influenced by the specific requirements of each building. But for those now looking to force
02:26the company out it's a time for action rather than words. Olly Leader in Greenhithe
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