By Olivia Virag
An Ordinary Question
When I moved into my shared ownership home in July 2020, I wasn’t looking for a campaign or preparing for a legal dispute. Like most people, I simply wanted a place to call home.
At the age of 50, after many years of renting shared accommodation, home ownership had never really seemed within reach. Shared ownership offered something I had hoped for but never expected: stability, security and somewhere to put down roots. I was grateful for the opportunity and trusted that the professionals responsible for managing the building would do their job properly.
I accepted that service charges were a normal part of living in a shared ownership property. Maintaining communal areas, keeping the building safe and carrying out repairs all cost money, and I assumed the charges would be calculated fairly. If I ever had a question, I expected someone would simply explain the figures.
My questions began when I tried to compare one year’s service charge expenditure with the next to understand why costs were rising. Instead of finding a clear picture, I found it surprisingly difficult to make meaningful comparisons. Categories changed, figures were presented differently and it became harder, not easier, to understand where the money had gone.
At the same time, I couldn’t ignore what I was seeing around me. Despite increasing service charges, some maintenance issues remained unresolved and communication often felt inconsistent. I found myself asking a simple question: Was I receiving the service I was paying for?
I never imagined that trying to answer that question would introduce me to service charge accounting, leasehold law and, eventually, community organising. At the time, I genuinely believed I was simply checking my bill.
Looking Behind the Numbers
What I expected to be a straightforward enquiry quickly became something very different. When I contacted the managing organisation to ask about the expenditure statements, I expected a simple explanation. Instead, the responses often raised more questions than they answered. Some explanations felt incomplete, while others didn’t seem to reflect what I could see happening in the building. Rather than providing reassurance, they left me searching for greater clarity.
As I continued asking questions, I discovered that leaseholders have statutory rights to obtain information about service charges. Until then, I had no idea those rights even existed. Like many people, I assumed that if something wasn’t clear, there would be a straightforward process for getting an explanation. That assumption proved wrong.
Before long, I was spending evenings, weekends and annual leave reading guidance, comparing documents and trying to understand a system far more complicated than I had ever imagined. The more I learned, the more I realised that understanding service charges isn’t simply a matter of checking a bill. It requires patience, persistence and a willingness to navigate financial records, legal rights and often incomplete information.
The biggest surprise wasn’t discovering that the system was complex. It was discovering how difficult it can be for an ordinary leaseholder to scrutinise it effectively. Without clear, consistent information, it becomes extremely difficult to understand what you’re paying for, let alone question whether those costs are reasonable.
That was the point at which I realised my questions were no longer just about my own service charge bill. They were about whether the system itself was transparent enough for ordinary residents to hold it to account.
Realising I Wasn’t Alone
As I searched for answers, I naturally began talking more with my neighbours. Fortunately, our building already had a WhatsApp group that had been set up when we all moved into our new homes in 2020. Like many new developments, it quickly became a place where residents shared information, reported problems and helped one another.
The more we talked, the more I realised my concerns were far from unique. Many residents questioned the standard of maintenance, the quality of services and the difficulty of getting clear information from the managing organisation. Building managers changed frequently, communication was inconsistent and even identifying the right person to contact could be frustrating.
As service charges increased, more people tried to understand the annual expenditure statements. Many reached the same conclusion I had: comparing one year with the next was surprisingly difficult, and obtaining clear explanations was even harder.
One of our biggest barriers was a lack of time. Most people were working full-time, raising families or simply managing the demands of everyday life. Investigating service charges requires patience, organisation and an understanding of legal rights that few people naturally possess. Some explored legal advice but found it too expensive or difficult to obtain. Others continued paying because they felt they had little practical alternative.
Gradually, I realised that many people felt powerless. That changed my perspective. What I had thought of as my own service charge dispute was, in reality, a shared concern affecting many of my neighbours. If so many of us were asking the same questions, perhaps the answer wasn’t for one person to keep pushing alone. Perhaps we would be stronger if we worked together.
Building a Residents’ Association
By the summer of 2025, it had become clear that continuing as one resident sending emails was unlikely to bring lasting change. If a single voice could be dismissed, perhaps a recognised residents’ association could represent the concerns of the wider community more effectively.
Our existing WhatsApp group made it much easier to start those conversations. I began explaining what a recognised residents’ association could achieve and why I believed it would give residents a stronger, more organised voice. I also spoke to neighbours whenever we met around the building.
Building support took time. Some residents were understandably sceptical, while others were simply busy with work, family and everyday life. I learned that people rarely reject an idea because they don’t care; often they just need time to understand how it might benefit them.
Within around six weeks, enough households had joined for us to apply for formal recognition. That was an important milestone. It didn’t solve our problems overnight, but it transformed a collection of individual concerns into a recognised community organisation with an elected committee and a shared purpose.
Being elected Chair of the Fletcher House Residents’ Association brought a real sense of responsibility. I was no longer speaking only for myself but representing my neighbours as well. That made it even more important to communicate carefully, gather evidence objectively and focus on constructive solutions rather than confrontation.
The experience also taught me that forming a residents’ association is often much more achievable than people imagine. It doesn’t usually begin with formal meetings or complicated paperwork. More often, it begins with neighbours talking to one another and someone asking, “Could we do this together?”
Recognition didn’t transform our relationship with the managing organisation overnight, but it did provide a recognised collective voice. We were no longer approaching the same issues as isolated individuals. We were a community working towards a common goal.
What Changed
If I’m honest, forming a residents’ association didn’t transform our building overnight. The same management issues didn’t suddenly disappear, and not every resident wanted to become actively involved. Like many volunteer-led organisations, participation varied. Some people engaged enthusiastically, while others understandably preferred to focus on the demands of everyday life.
Even so, something important had changed. Residents began sharing information more openly. Emails, photographs and updates about building issues no longer remained with one individual but became part of a shared pool of knowledge. Instead of each person starting from scratch, we could build on one another’s experience.
The association also enabled valuable continuity. Questions no longer disappeared because one resident became too busy or discouraged to continue. Information could be preserved, evidence organised and concerns pursued over months rather than days.
Looking back, I also realised how much I had learned along the way. When I first moved into my home, I knew almost nothing about service charges, leasehold rights or residents’ associations. Everything I have learned has come through reading, researching, asking questions and, occasionally, making mistakes.
If this experience has taught me anything, it is that there is nothing wrong with asking questions. Most of us are not accountants, surveyors or property professionals, and we shouldn’t feel embarrassed about wanting to understand what we are paying for. Keeping records, staying organised and following up politely can make an enormous difference. Persistence isn’t about being confrontational, it is about making sure reasonable questions don’t simply disappear.
I also discovered that one of the greatest resources is the community around you. Talking to neighbours revealed that many of us were experiencing similar concerns, each holding a different piece of the puzzle. Once those pieces were brought together, a much clearer picture began to emerge.
Learning about leaseholders’ statutory rights was another turning point. It didn’t solve every problem, but it gave me the confidence to ask better questions and better understand the answers I received.
Finally, joining SHAC reminded me that none of us has to navigate this journey alone. Meeting people who had already travelled much of the road I was just beginning saved me countless hours and gave me confidence at times when the process felt overwhelming. Although every building has its own story, many leaseholders face remarkably similar challenges, and there is real strength in sharing knowledge and experience.
It Began With One Question
Looking back, I never imagined that trying to understand my service charge would lead me to establish a recognised residents’ association. What began as one resident asking one question gradually became a journey of learning, organising and discovering that many of my neighbours were facing similar challenges.
By the time our residents’ association was formally recognised, my tribunal application had already been submitted, so it has continued in my own name. Even so, I have always believed the issues extend far beyond my individual circumstances. Whatever the eventual outcome, I hope the experience and lessons learned will prove useful to other leaseholders facing similar challenges.
This journey has demanded far more time, patience and determination than I ever expected when I first opened a service charge statement. There have been moments of frustration, disappointment and exhaustion. But there have also been moments of encouragement: meeting neighbours who cared, discovering organisations like SHAC and realising that ordinary residents can achieve far more together than they ever could alone.
If I could offer one piece of advice to anyone at the beginning of their own journey, it would be this: don’t keep your questions to yourself. Talk to your neighbours. Share what you learn. Keep good records. Learn about your rights. Organise if you can. You don’t need to become an expert overnight, and you don’t have to face the journey alone.
Meaningful change rarely begins with dramatic action. More often, it starts with an ordinary person asking an ordinary question and refusing to stop looking for an honest answer. After all, my story didn’t begin with a campaign, it began with a question: “Can someone explain this to me?”
Further Information:
- Resources – including guides and templates on Tenant and Resident Associations
5 September 2026
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