5th Aug 2026 (8 days ago)
Salter Rex managed our block of seven flats for seven years. Throughout that time, in our experience, the building suffered from ongoing rodent infestations, the communal areas were in a terrible state, the communal front door could literally be pushed open if you leaned on it, there were serious security concerns, and the carpets had become trip hazards. The condition of the building was, in our opinion, completely unacceptable.<br><br>Over the years, the service charges increased to around £1,800 per flat, per year. There are seven flats in the building, so you do the maths. Whenever we questioned the charges or requested supporting invoices for the contractors, maintenance or cleaning that we were paying for through the service charge, we felt our concerns were dismissed and were instead met with threats of debt recovery or court action if payment wasn’t made.<br><br>About a year ago, one of the other leaseholders put a note through my tenants’ door asking to get in touch because they had also had enough. As all of our flats were tenanted, it was incredibly difficult to track each other down, but eventually we managed to make contact with every leaseholder.<br><br>Together, all seven leaseholders instructed a solicitor and exercised our legal Right to Manage. For anyone who doesn’t know, Right to Manage (RTM) is a legal process that allows qualifying leaseholders to take over the management of their building by forming their own RTM company. It took around a year, but we were successful.<br><br>We have now removed Salter Rex as our managing agent and taken control of our own building. We appoint our own contractors, decide how our service charge money is spent and invest it back into improving the building instead of paying excessive management fees.<br><br>To any leaseholders who have had a similar experience with Salter Rex, or any other managing agent, please don’t assume you’re stuck with them. Look into your Right to Manage. It is absolutely possible to remove your managing agent if the leaseholders work together. It takes time, patience and commitment, but I can honestly say it has been one of the best decisions we’ve made.<br><br>And finally, to Salter Rex: the way we felt we were treated over the last seven years was deeply disappointing. I genuinely don’t know how you sleep at night, but I do know one thing I sleep a lot better knowing my hard-earned money is no longer going into your pockets.<br><br>Peace & love.... Read more