Home owners warned: check your deeds

HOUSEHOLDERS moving onto new estates at Warrington are being urged to check their deeds carefully because of a “patchwork quilt” of responsibility over landscape maintenance.
Some people are finding themselves locked into maintenance contracts which are proving expensive and poor value for money, according to a local councillor.
Cllr Geoff Settle has discovered that landscape maintenance in the Poulton North area is variable on services such as grass cutting, bush trimming, tree maintenance and playground repairs.
He said: “Only the other week, Cllr Billy Lines-Rowlands and myself had to sweep up glass from the Jervis Close playground because the service provider was not keeping to their contractual obligations.
“We didn’t want the children to injure themselves and we will be expressing our displeasure with the provider.”
The Priestly Park Residents Association has approached Cllr Settle for help with two main land management issues.
Their estate in Fearnhead was built on land previously occupied by the University of Chester, nine years ago, but remedial work is still outstanding on a sewer and is preventing the roads and sewers from being adopted.
“To make things worse residents are locked into land maintenance contracts that are proving to be expensive and of poor value,” said Cllr Settle
Another issue is landscape maintenance on the Priestley Park Estate, which the builders apparently sold to a Glaswegian company.
They in turn engaged a third party to do the work, said Cllr Settle.
“The residents claim that this has led to large bills for poor levels of service. To make matters worse they have discovered that they are locked into a contract which is embedded into their deeds.
“This is a complicated problem that has driven many residents to despair. In my opinion the company are using deplorable tactics to make residents pay.
“I support local resident’s stance to suspended payment until the matter is resolved to their satisfaction.”
Cllr Settle has raised the issue with All Party Working Group in Westminster looking at land management companies.
Cllr Settle’s advice to any householder moving into a new property, is to study their deeds and land maintenance agreements carefully.
He said: “You need to check who is responsible for your local landscape maintenance, find out what the service agreement is and how much it costs before you sign on the dotted line.
“If you don’t then you might find yourself locked into an expensive agreement that you have little say in. Get your conveyance solicitor to investigate and explain all to your satisfaction”.
Pictured: Left, Cllr Settle; right: Cllr Lines-Rowlands sweeping up on the Jervis Close playground.