Leaseholders at High Point Village in Hayes are calling for an urgent reduction in service charges as rising bills, heating network repairs and uncertainty over future costs leave residents struggling to afford their homes.
According to a briefing prepared by leaseholders, annual charges for a typical one-bedroom flat have reached £7,834 in 2026, compared with approximately £2,014 quoted at the point of sale. That is an increase of around 289%, or almost four times the original figure.
The 2026 total includes £5,290 in core service charges, a £2,290 heating network remediation levy and a £254 charge towards a previous budget overspend. The briefing puts the equivalent total for a two-bedroom flat at £10,491.
Residents describe the combined burden as a “second mortgage”, but the consequences extend beyond paying the next bill. They report that high charges are making their homes harder to sell, leaving some feeling trapped in properties they can no longer comfortably afford. Others say they have felt compelled to sublet in an attempt to meet some of the costs.
The rises mean that residents are unable to plan their lives because the cost of keeping their homes continues to rise, with no clear picture of what comes next.
A Heating System That Keeps Costing More
The development’s communal heating network is a major concern. Residents say they were sold the promise of efficient, affordable heating. Instead, they describe years of outages, leaks, system failures and questions about bills.
Residents are now being required to contribute approximately £1.5 million towards a £2.9 million programme of repairs to the district heating network and the heat interface units that connect it to individual homes. A further £1.4 million subsidy is paid from government funding.
These costs come on top of continuing annual operating and maintenance charges. Concerns are longstanding. The residents’ association raised problems with Ballymore, SW Energy and other parties as early as November 2013. These included faulty installations, unexplained consumption, heat losses and a lack of confidence in billing.
More than a decade later, leaseholders want to know why they are being asked to fund such extensive remedial work. They are asking Ballymore to explain what went wrong, what action has been taken to recover costs from those responsible, and whether warranties, insurance or contractual claims could reduce the amount charged to residents.
They also want an independent assessment of the network’s performance and long-term costs. Paying for repairs now offers little reassurance without knowing whether further large demands will follow.
Rising Estate Costs
Heating is only part of the picture. The leaseholders’ comparison of 2014 expenditure with the 2026 budget shows core estate service charges rising from approximately £1.53 million to £3.29 million, or an increase of 115%, before the additional heating remediation levy.
Within that comparison, insurance costs rise from approximately £84,800 to £327,000, while Ballymore’s management fee increases from approximately £138,800 to £279,900.
Residents acknowledge that some expenditure categories have changed, so not every item can be compared directly. Nevertheless, they want a clearer explanation of the increases and evidence that contracts and management arrangements offer value for money. They are calling for competitive tendering, published comparisons with similar developments and independent scrutiny of opportunities to reduce costs.
Fire Door Bills
Leaseholders also face potential charges for work to their front entrance fire doors, with estimates ranging from £164 to £4,782 per property. Residents were warned that failure to engage with the programme could lead to enforcement action under their leases. The works were subsequently postponed following representations from distressed leaseholders, but questions about future costs remain.
Residents want access to inspection reports and an explanation of the defects identified. They also want to know whether problems existed when the development was completed, who was responsible and on what basis leaseholders are being asked to pay. Their concern is both the safety of their homes and responsibility for putting defects right.
Demands for a Cost Reduction Plan
Leaseholders are calling on Ballymore to publish a clear, costed plan to reduce and control service charges, with deadlines and measurable targets. Their requests include full disclosure of anticipated major works, future liabilities and the position of reserve funds. They want an estate-wide meeting where residents can obtain direct answers and independent scrutiny of remediation costs and the allocation of charges.
Residents also seek clear information about efforts to recover costs from developers, contractors and insurers, and a process of competitive procurement with a review of management fees and insurance arrangements.
They also want meaningful involvement in decisions that affect their homes and finances, rather than successive demands for payment without a clear account of the longer-term position.
A Call for Wider Change
Beyond their own estate, the High Point Village campaign also calls on government to introduce stronger national protections: clearer service charge accounts, effective safeguards for heat network customers, greater developer accountability and more accessible routes to resident control through commonhold.
At the heart of the campaign is a concern that reaches beyond one development. Buying a home should provide security, yet residents describe an open-ended financial commitment over which they have little control.
It is a call that government should heed. Across Europe, protest movements mainly driven by young people have shown that the endless squeeze on working class people which began with the austerity programmes following the 2008 financial crash have reached breaking point.
Anger and action are inevitable when people contrast their own increasing financial distress against the huge profits of developers and energy companies.
Ballymore Group’s 2026 financial statement reported a doubling of its post-tax profits in the UK in 2026 to £3.7 million. Similarly, UK energy firms have generated over £6 billion in profits attributable to their UK operations during 2026, according to the End Fuel Poverty Coalition.
SHAC is fighting against the increased hardship and demanding a fairer distribution of wealth by building tenant and resident power through a National Housing Union. See more here.
25 October 2026
If you have a WordPress account, get notifications about new articles by subscribing below: