Residents living in a block of flats have won a legal battle against their housing association – after being faced with a service charge increase of more than 300 per cent.
Nine families living in Weston-super-Mare in Somerset had seen their monthly fees go up from about £70 per month to more than £300 a month.
Housing provider Curo has now agreed to limit the charge to just over £100 after being taken to tribunal.
A spokesperson for Curo said that it had “already agreed these reductions before the tribunal took place”.
Curo continued: “What we’re trying to avoid is large bills that leaseholders aren’t expecting.
“Keeping people safe is our priority, and we need to balance ensuring the right fire safety measures are in place with trying to minimize the financial impact, which we know has been difficult.”
Alan Rice from Weston Housing Action said the residents are “ecstatic”.
“Quite a few people told us that we wouldn’t win, but we were persistent and we got the result we wanted”, he added.
