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More Woe For Firstport In Kent!
Coming so shortly after losing the management contract at Faversham Lakes in Kent comes more woe for Firstport at the nearby Taylor Wimpey development Shorncliffe Heights in Folkestone.
Shorncliffe Heights is a typical new build development with a mix of freehold houses and leasehold flats. Originally Taylor Wimpey awarded the maintenance contract to Chamonix,and whilst far from perfect the management was reasonable. And then disaster struck for the Shorncliffe Heights residents. Chamonix was bought out by Firstport.
Service charges rocketed and service levels dropped dramatically. From a service charge demand of £382 in 2024 the demand for 2025 came in at an astonishing £634! One leaseholder was issued with a demand for £1,688. Naturally no accounts were ever produced by Firstport to justify these charges.
Following the intervention of the local Kent newspaper, Taylor Wimpey and the local MP Firstport have identified what they term to be "becoming aware of inconsistencies" and have put residents accounts on temporary hold. Naturally the residents want Firstport gone from their development and will do all within their power to make that happen.
Shorncliffe Heights is a typical new build development with a mix of freehold houses and leasehold flats. Originally Taylor Wimpey awarded the maintenance contract to Chamonix,and whilst far from perfect the management was reasonable. And then disaster struck for the Shorncliffe Heights residents. Chamonix was bought out by Firstport.
Service charges rocketed and service levels dropped dramatically. From a service charge demand of £382 in 2024 the demand for 2025 came in at an astonishing £634! One leaseholder was issued with a demand for £1,688. Naturally no accounts were ever produced by Firstport to justify these charges.
Following the intervention of the local Kent newspaper, Taylor Wimpey and the local MP Firstport have identified what they term to be "becoming aware of inconsistencies" and have put residents accounts on temporary hold. Naturally the residents want Firstport gone from their development and will do all within their power to make that happen.
Posted by The Editor on 05 February 2025
Wishing them well in their search for new managing agents.Things are getting exciting, hopefully FP will disappear!! That would be a blessing for so many.
Posted by RUTH on 05 February 2025
Dear Mr Editor,
Respect for the folks of Shorncliffe Heights”. Firstport will soon be gone I’m sure , however, in my view they must beware of appointing the Folkstone based Co ‘ LH PROPERTY MANAGEMENT LTD ( 12796801) This
Company is in run by WESTBURY RESIDENTIAL TD and is one of several management companies operating under the WR umbrella ☂️
Respect for the folks of Shorncliffe Heights”. Firstport will soon be gone I’m sure , however, in my view they must beware of appointing the Folkstone based Co ‘ LH PROPERTY MANAGEMENT LTD ( 12796801) This
Company is in run by WESTBURY RESIDENTIAL TD and is one of several management companies operating under the WR umbrella ☂️
Posted by Kim on 06 February 2025
I wouldn't use LH or Westbury no matter how much LKP/NLC supported them!
Posted by Michael Epstein on 06 February 2025
Michael E,
On that we agree….
On that we agree….
Posted by Kim on 06 February 2025
Property Institute Suspends Firstport!
As reported on FRAG The Property Institute who act as a veneer of credibility for Firstport have handed Firstport a three month suspension due to their very poor performance in regard to handing over development service charges after RTM.
Normally funds would be handed over immediately to the RMC as soon as the RMC took over save around 10% of the funds that would be held back for a few months to cover any outstanding invoices after which all the funds should be passed over.
In the case of Firstport they have failed to hand over the funds in a timely manner, the amount of money they pass on is often less than should be in the development account, accounting records are inaccurate and it has been found that in cases where residents owe their service charges, Firstport have simply deducted what is owing and using the reserve funds to balance the books.
It is a legal requirement for any managing agent to be part of an ombudsman scheme in order to operate. It appears Firstport left the previous ombudsman service under a cloud, now this one has suspended them.
It remains to be seen as to whether the suspension leads to expulsion, but Firstport have many other issues that merit expulsion so we await events.
In the meantime this comes at a bad time for Firstport coming as it does in the wake of 80 MP's scathing attacks on the way Firstport operates.
Whilst the rules of the ombudsman dictate that before a complaint is made to them, the Firstport complaints process must have been gone through, it would do no harm at all to copy in the Property Institute and your MP when raising issues with Firstport.
The contact for the Property Institute is: info@tpi.org.uk
Let's keep the pressure up. A motto that works well for dealing with Firstport is that "When you have them by the balls, that is the time to start squeezing very hard!"
Normally funds would be handed over immediately to the RMC as soon as the RMC took over save around 10% of the funds that would be held back for a few months to cover any outstanding invoices after which all the funds should be passed over.
In the case of Firstport they have failed to hand over the funds in a timely manner, the amount of money they pass on is often less than should be in the development account, accounting records are inaccurate and it has been found that in cases where residents owe their service charges, Firstport have simply deducted what is owing and using the reserve funds to balance the books.
It is a legal requirement for any managing agent to be part of an ombudsman scheme in order to operate. It appears Firstport left the previous ombudsman service under a cloud, now this one has suspended them.
It remains to be seen as to whether the suspension leads to expulsion, but Firstport have many other issues that merit expulsion so we await events.
In the meantime this comes at a bad time for Firstport coming as it does in the wake of 80 MP's scathing attacks on the way Firstport operates.
Whilst the rules of the ombudsman dictate that before a complaint is made to them, the Firstport complaints process must have been gone through, it would do no harm at all to copy in the Property Institute and your MP when raising issues with Firstport.
The contact for the Property Institute is: info@tpi.org.uk
Let's keep the pressure up. A motto that works well for dealing with Firstport is that "When you have them by the balls, that is the time to start squeezing very hard!"
Posted by The Editor on 04 February 2025
To clarify matters, a slight error occurred in the previous post for which About Firstport wish to correct. Firstport have been suspended by the trade body The Property Institute, who are not Firstpprt's ombudsman service.
That said it must come as a huge embarrassment for Firstport to be suspended since the former Chief Executive of The Property Institute Nigel Glen took on a highly paid role with Firstport's parent company Emeria Resi UK.
If that were not bad enough for Firstport Mark Varley head of Firstport Health & Safety is currently a director of The Property Institute. Oh! what fun it must have been to suspend the company you work for!
That said it must come as a huge embarrassment for Firstport to be suspended since the former Chief Executive of The Property Institute Nigel Glen took on a highly paid role with Firstport's parent company Emeria Resi UK.
If that were not bad enough for Firstport Mark Varley head of Firstport Health & Safety is currently a director of The Property Institute. Oh! what fun it must have been to suspend the company you work for!
Posted by The Editor on 05 February 2025
THANKS FOR ALL THE COMMENTS RE;MANAGING AGENTS,IT SEEMS LIKE A BIT OF A LOTTERY.
B
B
Posted by B on 06 February 2025
And it will remain a lottery until their is statutory regulation of managing agents. The best way to achieve such regulation would be the collapse of the UK's largest property management company, Firstport.
Posted by Michael Epstein on 06 February 2025
RTM
Dear Mr Editor, we are just at early stages of going RTM and would like to ask if anyone has any experience of either Red Rock or Churchill managing agents of their Blocks?
Regards B
Regards B
Posted by B on 01 February 2025
B
There is a Churchill managed block very near to us, the service charge is a lot more than ours. Personally, I would not touch Churchill with a barge pole.
There is a Churchill managed block very near to us, the service charge is a lot more than ours. Personally, I would not touch Churchill with a barge pole.
Posted by RUTH on 01 February 2025
Hi B.
Red rock is accredited by LKP so I advise you to not consider that company. The review of Red Rock Trustpilot are interesting. Many ‘good” reviews but the bad reviews seem more genuine. Your choice but I would steer clear.
Churchill. Run away.
Red rock is accredited by LKP so I advise you to not consider that company. The review of Red Rock Trustpilot are interesting. Many ‘good” reviews but the bad reviews seem more genuine. Your choice but I would steer clear.
Churchill. Run away.
Posted by Kim on 02 February 2025
We went RTM years ago. Always take your time doing your research on Managing companies, Ask as many RTM blocks as you can for their advice and reviews , especially monitoring systems!
Posted by the holy mole on 02 February 2025
Hi B
I should also add, in case you do not know, Churchill are owned by a McCarthy family member, formerly director of the discredited McCarthy & Stone They were part of the presentation arranged by E and M when we decided to go RTM, and they did not get a single vote.
I should also add, in case you do not know, Churchill are owned by a McCarthy family member, formerly director of the discredited McCarthy & Stone They were part of the presentation arranged by E and M when we decided to go RTM, and they did not get a single vote.
Posted by RUTH on 03 February 2025
In the industry Churchill are nicknamed “FirstPort light”.. I echo what others say
If you are in a development where E and M are the freeholder make sure the new managing agent is not on E and M’s approved list, as Churchill for example are.
Try Arrow Leasehold Management who are completely independent and look after leaseholders interests.
If you are in a development where E and M are the freeholder make sure the new managing agent is not on E and M’s approved list, as Churchill for example are.
Try Arrow Leasehold Management who are completely independent and look after leaseholders interests.
Posted by CirencesterDave on 04 February 2025
Cirencester Dave,
I am willing to bet that like me you have had a pint at the Thameshead pub!
I am willing to bet that like me you have had a pint at the Thameshead pub!
Posted by Michael Epstein on 04 February 2025
Even More Stress For Leaseholders!
If it wasn't bad enough already for leaseholders living in blocks of flats, a new development has emerged that ha caused them unimaginable stress.
As we know every block has to be issued with a fire safety certificate. Surveys must be carried out by properly qualified surveyor.
However on occasions it has been found for various surveys that the surveyor has not been properly qualified and may simply be using the name of a qualified surveyor.
The golden rule here is anyone undertaking any survey should have to have identification and proof of their qualifications.
Now we have the debacle of Tri Fire Ltd a company often used by Firstport.
The director of Tri Fire is Adam Kiziak.
Mr Kiziak has just been expelled by the Institute of Fire Engineers for:
Failing to work with professional competence and breaching the IFF's principle of accuracy and vigour.
Such is the appalling standard of Tri-Fire's surveys that they have not been accepted as genuine by banks who are now refusing to grant mortgages on any flat that has had a Tri- Fire survey.
Firstport has a poor track record of employing dishonest contractors(possibly because the genuine ones have had enough of being paid late). Formation is a classic example, several of their companies went into liquidation owing £600,000 only to re-emerge a couple of days later under a different incarnation and carry on their contracts with Firstport despite being warned by residents over their conduct.
Now in the case of Tri-Fire warnings were given about them to Firstport by Jaqueline Henderson (you can see the full report on FRAG(Firstport Residents Action Group) back in 2021 and still Firstport continued to use them!
As we know every block has to be issued with a fire safety certificate. Surveys must be carried out by properly qualified surveyor.
However on occasions it has been found for various surveys that the surveyor has not been properly qualified and may simply be using the name of a qualified surveyor.
The golden rule here is anyone undertaking any survey should have to have identification and proof of their qualifications.
Now we have the debacle of Tri Fire Ltd a company often used by Firstport.
The director of Tri Fire is Adam Kiziak.
Mr Kiziak has just been expelled by the Institute of Fire Engineers for:
Failing to work with professional competence and breaching the IFF's principle of accuracy and vigour.
Such is the appalling standard of Tri-Fire's surveys that they have not been accepted as genuine by banks who are now refusing to grant mortgages on any flat that has had a Tri- Fire survey.
Firstport has a poor track record of employing dishonest contractors(possibly because the genuine ones have had enough of being paid late). Formation is a classic example, several of their companies went into liquidation owing £600,000 only to re-emerge a couple of days later under a different incarnation and carry on their contracts with Firstport despite being warned by residents over their conduct.
Now in the case of Tri-Fire warnings were given about them to Firstport by Jaqueline Henderson (you can see the full report on FRAG(Firstport Residents Action Group) back in 2021 and still Firstport continued to use them!
Posted by The Editor on 29 January 2025
Dear Mr Editor
Strange that you have posted this today! Yesterday our contractor started to fit new letter boxes ,door handles with better locks and later will fit something on the bottom of the door to seal the door to make it completely fireproof. The ground floor has never had fire doors in the corridor so that says a lot about FP, My door lock was found to be faulty so in the ten years I have lived here my door was never checked. Thankfully we are now RTM, so even though we will have to pay for it we know we will be safe.
Strange that you have posted this today! Yesterday our contractor started to fit new letter boxes ,door handles with better locks and later will fit something on the bottom of the door to seal the door to make it completely fireproof. The ground floor has never had fire doors in the corridor so that says a lot about FP, My door lock was found to be faulty so in the ten years I have lived here my door was never checked. Thankfully we are now RTM, so even though we will have to pay for it we know we will be safe.
Posted by RUTH on 29 January 2025
Just had all ours done after Firstport's so called fire experts gave wrong information. ie, door has to latch from 7 inches to close ie, overhead door closers now in place A few people with walkers find it difficult to keep the door open to get out and in!
Posted by the holy mole on 30 January 2025
holy mole
Our contactor has done a good job but we have discovered that it is almost impossible to post a single sheet of paper through the very stiff brush. The DM is going to find it difficult when he needs to post info to 54 flats!
Our contactor has done a good job but we have discovered that it is almost impossible to post a single sheet of paper through the very stiff brush. The DM is going to find it difficult when he needs to post info to 54 flats!
Posted by RUTH on 30 January 2025
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of the About Firstport website particularly recommends the Caffe Elite next to Sainsbury's.
Unfortunately Harrison Court suffers from being managed by Firstport having been appointed by the previously connected company Estates & Management. Over the last couple of years by banding together residents have challenged the cost and necessity of works proposed by Firstport and have saved themselves £80,000! In one case involving roof repairs Firstport informed residents the cost would be £20,000. A local highly reputable contractor quoted just £2,000. The local Hitchin MP Alastair Strathern has given his unqualified support to the Harrison Court residents and praised them for their actions. He encouraged all other Firstport managed development residents to copy their example and challenge Firstport on everything.
Referring to Firstport Mr Strathern spoke of "rogue unaccountable managing agents" and promised to do all within his power to give residents control over their own developments.
Currently Harrison Court residents have asked E&M to appoint a replacement managing agent but thus far E&M are reluctant to do so.