'All I do is worry about next house estate bill'
BBCHomeowners say they face stress and money worries because of fees charged for management of public areas on housing estates.
Graeme Blenkiron said his new home at Aykley Woods in Durham was supposed to be a "fresh start", but now he was plagued by worry about the next bill.
Meanwhile in Carlisle, residents said they could cut their bill by two thirds to £50 a year if they took over management of the estate themselves.
Gateway, the company that manages the estates, said it did "not retain service charge income" and operated in line with legal documents. The government is consulting on reforms to tackle the so-called "fleecehold" issue.
Traditionally, public amenities on housing estates such as roads, green spaces and sewers were taken over by public authorities, such as councils and water companies.
But with many new estates that is not the case, meaning maintenance falls to a management company.
Blenkiron said he had been forced to retire after a traumatic incident at work, but worry over rising fees was a new source of stress.
"This was supposed to be a fresh start with all my problems behind us and now all I do is worry about what my bill is going to be next year," he said.
Growing trend
He said his local council had agreed to adopt the roads on his estate, but residents faced bills of more than £200 a year to maintain other public areas.
Persimmon Homes, which built the estate, said local authorities across the country were "no longer adopting new housing developments in full" which had led to the use of management companies.
The practice has been identified as a growing trend by the government, which says it could affect up to 1.75 million homes.
Some residents complain fees are excessive and they are not told about the extent of the costs in advance.
Government reforms
Blenkiron's local Durham County councillor, Liberal Democrat Amanda Hopgood, said developers had to start the process to have estates adopted by councils.
She said roads had to be built to the right standard and councils could request a fee from developers to take over green spaces.
The government is consulting on measures to reduce the prevalence of privately managed estates and protect homeowners already living on them.
Some residents and home builders do not think the proposals go far enough and want to see mandatory adoption of public amenities by councils.
The government said its reforms would "give people stronger powers" and "tackle the root cause of these problems".
Residents' takeover
In some instances, residents have been able to take over control of their estates and appoint their own contractors.
Tarraby View Residents Association in Carlisle said it was trying to do this, but that it was a slow process.
Chairman Steven Allison said: "We've worked it out that we could get the bill down to probably about £50 a year, which is about a third of what we're paying now."
Gateway, which manages both Aykley Woods and Tarraby View, said it did not "retain service charge income" and operated in line with legal documentation.
"Service charges cover both physical maintenance and essential administrative and compliance requirements," the company said.
