Minister renews attack on FirstPort over service charge complaints
Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook says he is unconvinced by the property management company's response to concerns from MPs and residents about its performance.
Property management giant FirstPort is again in the firing line with Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook (main picture) saying he is not satisfied with the firm’s response to complaints.
Pennycook met with FirstPort MD Martin King recently to discuss MPs’ concerns, and said afterwards he was unconvinced by the answers he received.
“I have significant concerns about FirstPort’s performance and the service you provide to residents on sites you manage,” Pennycook said in a letter to King, The Guardian reports.
Slow response
“It is clear from the correspondence I receive from MPs and leaseholders that significant issues remain: unreasonable service charge increases, concerns over the proportion of service charges that are charged as management fees, a lack of transparency in your engagement with leaseholders, slow responses to complaints, and concerns over your approach to debt collection,” he said.
A spokesperson for FirstPort told The Guardian: “We discussed the positive changes we have implemented over the last 12 months as well as how we are contributing to the broader reform of the sector.
“There remains more to do as we continue our work to drive improvement across the industry.”
Grilled
Earlier this year, FirstPort, which manages more than 300,000 properties across the UK, was grilled by MPs about ‘poor performance’ and complaints from leaseholders.
MPs presented evidence from residents, describing service charge increases of over 50% and frustrations with maintenance issues.
In March, the Government published a Commonhold White Paper promising to completely overhaul the leasehold system, including a ban on new leasehold flats and ground rent.
However, the Leasehold and Commonhold Reform Bill is still awaiting its first appearance in Parliament.
