A few hours after FirstPort – aka Peverel – was named in prime minister’s questions, it was named again – for not fixing a broken lift.
First, Conservative MP Huw Merriman, for Bexhill and Battle, raised issues of “fleecehold” charges and high retirement service charges – “thanks to the dominant influence of FirstPort”.
Later, Labour MP Seema Malhotra, for Feltham and Heston, upbraided FirstPort for failing to repair a lift at Camellia House in Feltham after two months.
She can be heard at 14.42 here:
https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/f4ac8afc-6502-4c24-b3f2-af9bc92c7529
Curiously, FirstPort had also not responded to her inquiries: it is usually prompt at the damage-limitation side of things.
Goodness!
At this rate, MPs will soon be asking FirstPort why on earth it owns a portfolio of retirement house managers’ flats, all with leases dreamed up in 2009 .
The portfolio somehow ended up in its possession after the company went into administration following the arrest of its former proprietor Vincent Tchenguiz by the Serious Fraud Office in February 2011.
Vincent, it should not be forgotten, won his judicial review into his wrongful arrest.
ARHM rejects Peverel pushed Mere Court flat sale
The daughter of a resident at Mere Court in Knutsford who believed Peverel was urging the sale of the house manager’s flat for financial gain has had her complaint rejected by the ARHM. Alex Ellison was appalled to discover that Peverel was encouraging the sale of the flat while repeatedly saying it belonged to the freeholder Proxima, part of the Tchenguiz Family Trust.
Related posts:
Cooee! Peverel becomes FirstPort and heading for ARMA-Q … But will it be welcome?
ARMA regulator’s sanctions against FirstPort ‘did not address seriousness of what took place’
ARMA rules against FirstPort Retirement …
ARMA to rule on admitting scandal-hit FirstPort Retirement
Dudley Joiner and Barry Weir named in Commons … and Roger Southam invited to retire
Huw Merriman calls for zero ground rents for retirement leasehold at prime minister’s questions
I suppose being mentioned twice in one day in Parliament will give their property manager piers something o gossip about when Firstport collect their latest self nominated spurious award at some trade gala evening, when slaps on the back are the order of the day?
From time to time About Firstport have carried stories regarding lift failures at Firstport managed developments.
Headlines such as “Christmas Ruined For Residents”, or “Residents Trapped Inside Derby Flats” have featured on the site.
Normally the excuse given by Firstport runs along the lines of “We take this very seriously, we regret the inconvenience to residents, we are working as hard as we can to resolve the issue, the part required was hard to source”
Lifts are very expensive.to purchase and maintain. A new lift may cost upwards of £100,000 and has an expected life span of 30-40 years..
Residents may be totally unaware that in many cases a developer will not purchase a lift, but instead lease it! Those leases often have onerous terms attached to them which is of no concern to the developer as by leasing the lift it reduces the purchase price of individual flats and of course it will be the leaseholders that pay all the costs.
It is vital that every lift is properly maintained. To do so requires regular inspection.3-4 times per year is not unusual. regular inspection can prevent breakdowns and lessen repair costs if preventative maintenance is carried out properly.
So, if any resident has any concerns about their lift they should ask the following questions?
Does the development own the lift or is it leased?
If leased, what are the terms of the lease agreement?
How often has the lift been inspected?
Have you copies of the inspection reports?
I feel sure McCarthy & Stone and Firstport would be only too delighted to answer such questions?
Which FirstPort Retirement was mentioned by MP Hugh Merriman, for Bexhill and Battle, who raised issues regarding the dominant influence of Firstport, those being:
* Fleecehold charges
* High retirement service charges
Two hours later MP Seema Malhotra, for Feltham and Heston, mentioned FirstPort for failing to repair a lift at Camellia House in Feltham two months after it stopped working.
Waiting for one bus then two turnup.
It is usual for Firstport to respond immediately to accusations to reduce damage limitation, but not this I wonder why. could it be that the Directors and CEO isn’t sure which Firstport company is responsible as happened when Firstport were AKA Peverel, the following will go some way to explain.
Heading from About Firstport:
Hydra The Many Headed Serpent
On 01/03/2011 Peverel Properties Ltd changed its name to Fairhold Properties and then to Aztec Properties Ltd on the same day.
During March 2011 Peverel Group Ltd , Peverel Ltd, Aztec Opco Developments Ltd and Aztec Acquisitions Ltd all Holding Companies were all in administration .
Peverel Property Management Ltd , Peverel Retirement Division, Peverel Building Technologies Ltd, Peverel Management Services Ltd (Traded as Peverel Retirement) now FirstPort Retirement were still trading and were not in administration.
These companies are now trading under the FirstPort Banner.
So be careful when mentioning FirstPort that you know the full name of the company as if the names put forward for RTM, have changed from the lease, the application was in the past, thrown out.
So by being sure when RTM Application is being filled in, mistakes may occur resulting in a Counter Notice by FirstPort and failure of the RTM application.
Check with Companies House Website to ensure you have the correct company name and number, because MPs could soon be asking FirstPort Ltd or FirstPort Property Services Ltd or FirstPort Retirement Ltd, or one of the twenty companies under the FirstPort Banner and of course then there is Vincent Tchenguiz and The Tchenguiz Family Trust. Maybe the MPs will ask, how did the portfolio of Retirement House Managers Flats, all with leases dreamed up in 2009, come to be outside the Peverel Group, after being placed into Administration?
Sent from Outlook
We have Freeholders/Landlords/Managing Agents who work in the Retirement Sector whose Ultimate Holding Company Incorporated in the British Virgin Islands and the Ultimate Controlling party is The Tchenguiz Family Trust.
The Times found in the past 10 years, 28 out of 93 British Millionaires moved to tax havens, with more to follow. There are 6,800 Britons running 12,000 UK firms from low-tax jurisdictions, British Virgin Islands, Chanel Islands, The Bahamas, Belize, Cayman Islands, Monaco and Switzerland. Many of the 28 had been awarded honours or hold titles, with One Viscount, One Baron, Six knights, and one Dame.
It has been seen some of the leavers bankrolled Political Parties donating £5.5 million pounds while living offshore and successive Governments failed to enact a law passed in 2009 that banned large donations from anyone resident abroad for tax purposes. It has also been stated; more than £1m pounds was accepted by the Conservative Party in the months before the 2017 election.
There was an interesting article in our local newspaper this week regarding an 86 year old resident in a retirement complex managed by Firstport who climbed out of her first floor window to remove scaffolding boards that had been blocking her light and view for 7 months.
Why? ” the workers wouldn’t take it down because they had fallen out over not being paid!!” They apparently disappeared one day and never came back despite much work still to be done!
She was advised not to remove anymore as it broke health and safety regulations!!!
The article ends by saying Firsport were contacted for comment
Some less than scrupulous scaffolding firms have been known on occasion to leave scaffolding in situ as a cheap means of storing the scaffolding.
Lesley
Can you please post which Regional Area this occurred?
Why has this not previously been mentioned by any of the residents and who is the RM and AM who should receive a WOW Award for the longest scaffold retained on a building, unless you know of better.
FirstPort could only say she was advised not to remove anymore as it broke H&S Regulations, another WOW Award for caring by Firstport.
If Firsport Retirement were contacted for comment and have failed to do so another WOW for being consistent.
Michael is correct companies often do not remove scaffolding as they use the development as a store until the next works.
NOTE Who is paying for the storing, I bet it is not Firstport Retirement, who also deserves a WOW and are in need of a LIFT.
Just heard the Parliamentary Karaoke Society perform a wonderful version of Firstport, Firstport, So bad they named it twice!
THAT IS NOTHING I HAD NEW WINDOWS FITTED 5 YEARS AGO NOW FIRST PORT ARE REFITTING ALL WINDOWS IN THE BLOCK EXCEPT THOSE THAT HAVE DONE IT OURSELVES, AND ARE DEMANDING WE ALL CONTRIBUTE TO THE COST IN A ONE OF PAYMENT IS THIS FAIR
Mike, I believe you posted that you had new windows fitted 5 years ago, was it your choice to replace them?
Are you saying the development AM has now decided to replace all the windows except those who paid for their own to be replaced and were the windows you replaced in disrepair and required repair/replacement? – Firstport has replaced single windows frames on developments when unrepairable, Was it for another reason such as heat retention ie single glazed to double glazed?
It may not seem fair as you have replaced your own, but it was your choice at the time. Did the AM give you permission to replace your windows and if so were you made to pay a fee for the privilege?
This is common in Firstport Developments and is not fair. The only thing in your favour is you will be contributing less than you would have done, had you not replaced your own.