LETTER TO PAUL BLOSS AND REPLIES
Paul Bloss - Chief Executive
Eastend Homes
Tayside House
1st Floor
31 Pepper Street
London
E14 9RP
Dear Paul,
Eastend Homes Leaseholders Association
I write to you in my formal capacity as Chair of the Eastend Homes Leaseholders Association. This is a new group that has formed to represent the interests of leaseholders in Eastend Homes estates and specifically the EEH estates on the Isle of Dogs.
We held our first public meeting on Thursday 25th October, where I was elected as Chair of the Group and a committee was voted in.
Local leaseholders are concerned about a number of issues pertaining to Service Charges, future developments and the way that their estates are run. As a result it was the unanimous decision of the Association that I write to you seeking a meeting to introduce myself as Chair and to discuss the following issues:
- Introduce purpose of the Association
- Discuss specific concerns of leaseholders, namely:
- Increases in service charges
- Lack of ground rent demands
- Lack of clear and transparent billing
- Lack of clear and understood complaints procedure
- Lack of investment in maintain the relationship with leaseholders
- Lack of clarity around proposed developments of our estates and the likely cost and benefit to leaseholders
- Problems of anti-social behaviour going unchecked on our estates
- discuss relationship between the Leaseholders Association and Eastend Homes going forward.
It was the will of the meeting that we should be able to work with you and Eastend Homes and we want to establish a mature dialogue.
I look forward to hearing from you in due course.
Yours sincerely
Gloria R Thienel
Chairperson
Eastendhomes Leaseholders Association
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From: Paul Bloss
To: Gloria R Thienel
CC: Timothy Archer
Sent: Wed, 14 Nov 2007 5.12pm
Subject: RE:
Dear Gloria
Thank you very much for your letter.
I am very pleased that, as you say, the will of your meting was to work together and establish a mature dialogue with EastendHomes to discuss and address the issues which you set out in your letter. I believe it is very important that discussions with leaseholders are undertaken in a mutually constructive way and I very much hope that this can be achieved.
I am currently in the process of preparing a report for the EastendHomes board in respect of leaseholder issues and in particular the recent formation of several leaseholder groups on our estates who are keen to engage directly with EastendHomes on a range of issues.
Our next board meeting takes place in early December and I will in touch with you again subsequent to this. In the meantime officers within EastendHomes will continue to do their very best to address leaseholders concerns and provide an appropriate response to issues raised.
With best wishes.
Yours sincerely
Paul
From: Gloria R Thienel
Sent: 15 November 2007 10:51
To: Paul Bloss
Cc: cllr.tim.archer
Dear Paul
Thank you for your quick response to my letter.
I will forward your reply to our members and look forward to hearing from you after your board meeting. Hopefully they will feel it will be beneficial to all parties to look at the issues in a constructive manner.
Kind regards
Gloria.
Gloria R Thienel - Chair
Eastend Homes Leaseholders Association
07943-373699
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Dear Gloria
Following the meeting of the EastendHomes board in December, I am writing to confirm the decision of the board and to set out the next steps. Please accept my apologies for the delay in coming back to you on this.
The board gave careful consideration to the report on requests from a number of leaseholders groups within EastendHomes for formal recognition of local leaseholder groups and/or the establishment of a formal Leaseholders Representative Group (LRG) covering all EastendHomes estates. After a lengthy debate the board asked that consultation take place with local estate boards and steering groups in order to determine local views on this issue prior the board making a decision.
This consultation will be carried out at the earliest opportunity with meetings of our local boards taking place in the early part of 2008.
I realise that this decision may be a disappointment to you. However, there is a genuine concern that it would be difficult to service a range of further groups in addition to the significant number of boards. steering groups and committees already in existence within EastendHomes. However, I would like to assure you that officers in EastendHomes are committed to working in a constructive partnership with all residents, including leaseholders and we will do everything possible to address your concerns and issues. Officers are also happy to meet with local leaseholder representative groups on an ad-hoc basis as part of this process.
I have copied Peter Gibbs who is our Interim Director of Finance and Anne Maslowicz, Leasehold Services Manager into this email and I will discuss with them your request for a meeting to discuss collectively the issues raised in your earlier correspondence to me.
With best wishes.
Paul