Registered Office

PA Hull & Co Ltd

34 Queen Street

Newton Le Willows

WA12 9AZ

When Buying or Selling

Contact for Solicitors

matthew@pahull.co.uk

Tele: 01925 221918 or

Tele: 01942 737375

Contact Us

info@vrmcl.co.uk

History of the Vista Road (Newton Le Willows) Management Company Limited

The estate developer, Taylor Wimpey (and its predecessors, George Wimpey and Rivermead Homes) decided that the open spaces will be managed by a company set up for this purpose. This is the Vista Road (Newton Le Willows) Management Company Ltd, to be funded by an annual levy on the homeowners. This arrangement is written into the transfer documents of every plot and all homeowners are members of the company.

The open spaces were maintained by Taylor Wimpey, at their expense, until April 2010 when they announced that it was time for the homeowners to start paying the annual levy.

A Management Company usually appoints a Managing Agent to run the day to day work of arranging insurance, updating members details, sending out invoices, accountancy, appointing contractors etc. Invoices were sent to homeowners by a company called CPM Asset Management (Northern) Limited (later rebranded RMG Residential Management Group).

A meeting between the homeowner, CPM/RMG and Tayor Wimpey took place at the Haydock Holiday Inn on 16 December 2009. CPM/RMG advised that they will be acting as directors of the Management Company as well as Managing Agent and that homeowners would not be appointed as directors at that time.

Homeowners objected to this arrangement, as well as having to pay a levy, the high costs involved and the poor condition of the open spaces. They took advice from lawyers and others and it was established that, according to the Articles of Association of the company, only homeowners can be directors.

The Residents Association, The Highmarsh and Makerfield Resident Association, organized themselves to try and rectify the situation. Contact was made with Taylor Wimpey, CPM/RMG the local MP, St Helens Council, The Minister of State, The National House Building Council and The Association of Residential Managing Agents. The outcome was summarized in a letter from the Managing Director of Taylor Wimpey who said that the arrangement “is written into the transfer documentation of every plot and should not be a surprise to any of the residents”.

Identical letters were prepared – for each homeowner to sign - that stated our position and that the invoices were in dispute. These letters were sent to CPM/RMG with a request for an Extraordinary General Meeting demanding that new Directors be appointed, from amongst the homeowners, and existing Directors resign. All in accordance with the Articles of Association.

This happened at a meeting held in the Haydock Holiday Inn on 26^th April 2010

From that point onwards the Management Company has been run by the homeowners - and CPM/RMG were terminated as Managing Agents. The result has been the lowest cost and open spaces maintained as dictated by the homeowners.

A debt of gratitude is owned to the many people who helped bring this about for their considerable dedication, effort, knowledge and time.

Footnote

Relationships had previously been soured between homeowners and CPM/RMG because they had been collecting money before the handover took place. They had also threatened penalties for non payment - and charged sums up to £435 when a house was sold.