A leaseholder at Manchester's Century Buildings has described buying his apartment there as "one of my biggest regrets", citing years of disputes with the management company over issues including balconies and cladding, alongside rising fees.
Martyn Maund, 67, an army veteran and business owner nicknamed 'The Major', bought an apartment in the building on St Mary's Parsonage, overlooking the River Irwell, in 2011. He said the problems began after two peaceful years, turning the luxury block into a "living nightmare".
Fees and parking charges
Maund pays £800 a month in leaseholder fees, totalling just under £10,000 a year. In addition, he currently pays a £550-a-quarter bill for car parking and valet service that has been paused since a car was crashed into an elevator in May. The incident left dozens of vehicles underground for several weeks and could take until the new year to fix, with many leaseholders still paying for the service and for alternative city centre parking.
"That's been the final straw for some people," Maund said. "The service charge was high when we moved in, but just about doable. Now it's just a ridiculous amount." He added that some residents are struggling to pay the bills but cannot sell their apartments, as prospective buyers ask about fees and then decline.
Balconies and cladding delays
Maund claimed a request to fix the building's balconies, after railings began falling apart from rust, took 15 years to process. He also said a several-year delay to replacing the fire cladding on the outside of the building – the same type used on Grenfell, where 72 people died in a 2017 fire – almost cost residents the £8m government grant offered for the works.
Century Buildings (Manchester) Management Limited (MRML), which also carries out work for other buildings, had an annual turnover of around £110,000 last year and £160,000 the year before.
Residents' struggles
"Every time something goes wrong, I know it'll be a battle," Maund said, sharing emails exchanged with the management firm. "I have thought about walking away but it would mean losing 150k and my good name. It impacts me immensely."
Residents are still being charged the £550 fee despite repairs to the garage not being expected until October and potentially taking several weeks. The Manchester Evening News has attempted to contact MRML and a director for Century Buildings (Manchester) Management Limited, but has received no reply.
