OWNERS of townhouses at Patrick Heights Manor in Plantation Heights, St Andrew, are blasting the Commission of Strata Corporations for neglecting the buildings which they said have been dilapidated for about 10 years.

The residents admitted that they halted payment of the approximately $7,000 maintenance fee monthly, due to what they called a lack of transparency from management and no proof of disbursement of monies.

Those problems have pushed the residents to make a request to detach from the organisation.

On Thursday when the Jamaica Observer visited the complex (Strata 908) which consists of eight townhouses and 20 apartments, the residents pointed to wasp infestation on roofs, sewage overflows, pothole-riddled roads, and walls in need of paint.

But the property manager, who did not wish to be named, was adamant that fees had to be paid in order for the conditions of the houses to be improved.

According to the representative, there are at least four townhouses owing upwards of million dollars in maintenance fees.

“If people don’t pay maintenance, business cannot be maintained. It is as simple as that. It is a chicken or egg situation, isn’t it? If you don’t pay there can be no improvement on the buildings. If millions of dollars are owed, what are you going to use to maintain the plants?”, the representative asked.

“This is a situation that predates me and it has always been — persons don’t pay maintenance fees. Strata has taken several persons to court, obtained judgement … persons still don’t pay,” the representative added.

Dr Bongelo Gombele, who was attacked by gunmen at his house last year, argued about the lack of security at the complex.

“Apart from the gate, we don’t have any alert that if anything happens in your house, your neighbours will come — you just have a bunch of people sharing some walls. That’s why we are pulling out of the strata to move forward in terms of security, aesthetic, and increase the value of our properties,” said Gombele.

Further, he stressed that he paid maintenance fees for 10 of the 11 years that he has been living there but there haves been no improvements.

“The strata is the main problem in this place in terms of transparency, problem solving and communication. This is a resident who has been paying his money for 10 years. If you ask me how much money is in a bank? Nobody knows. How much we pay for light bill? Nobody knows. How much we pay for water? Nobody knows. What is the purpose of a strata if we have never held a transparency financial meeting? It is beyond imagination that in the 21st century somebody just decides to do things this way. They have no regard to residents. All you hear is that there is no money. What about residents who have been paying for 10 years? Why don’t you show us that there is no money in writing to convince us?,” he asked, noting that no annual general meeting has been held for 10 years.

Another resident who has owned a townhouse for over 10 years explained that once there is better management of finances for maintenance, he will resume payments.

“What we need at Plantation Manor is just proper management so everybody can be on the same page. The transparency is more important than anything else. If we know what’s going on then we can put our heads together as a community and make things work. Once I get what I am asking for – like transparency with income and expenditure, to see where my money is going — I have no problem bringing it up to date. I haven’t paid in a while, and that’s due to the management system,” he said.

Another man who has been living at the property for over a year highlighted other concerns.

“The driveway is a major concern as well, and the common area which would include the pool and washing area. The pool is not being cleaned adequately; the pump is not working most times so the water changes colour and frogs and other insects start to come in there. Most of the times the washing machines are not working and not being cleaned properly. I stopped paying [for maintenance] because it wasn’t making any sense. Why pay and the conditions are horrible? It doesn’t make any sense,” he said.

Another townhouse owner who has been there for a year, Jean Rawle, shared that she was quite alarmed at the condition of the houses and poor management when she got there.

“People who have been living there for 10 years or more said this is what has been prevailing since they have been here. So, we wrote to the strata and told them that we were going to divorce ourselves from Strata 908 because we are not able to get any financial information. Everything is running amok, things are very bad and we don’t know how much money is being collected on a monthly basis and what is being spent,” she said.

Part of a letter to the commission from the former Patrick Heights Manor Strata Executive Committee, on December 14 last year, stated: “Given the challenges being experienced and after considering the counsel received, we intend to separate from Patrick Heights Manor Strata Association as of December 31, 2021, and as a consequence all restrictive covenants should be removed from the townhouses.”

That letter was followed by another written in July that same year by one of the townhouse owners who requested that the conditions be addressed.

But to date the residents said there has been no response from the commission regarding the letters.

The Registration (Strata Titles) (Amendment) Act has been in effect since January 1, 2010 for the Commission of Strata Corporations to monitor, regulate and supervise strata corporations which consist of the current owners of the units in schemes.

The functions of the commission include the administration and maintenance of common properties, and rule-keeping.

Also, the management of the multi-unit corporations — representing homeowners and commercial properties where neighbours share walls and common amenities in a common area — is expected to collect fees and ensure upkeep of common areas, supply of water, and insurance of the property, among other obligations.

In the meantime, the residents have started to renovate sections of their homes on their own by installing new windows and doors, and upgrading driveways.

Asked to comment, the commission requested that questions be emailed to it, but a response was not forthcoming as the Sunday Observer went to press.