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Residents in Weston-super-Mare won a legal battle against housing provider Curo over a 300% increase in their monthly service charges. Initially charged about £70 per month, the residents faced fees of more than £300 but were successful in reducing it to just over £100 after taking the issue to tribunal. The case centered on Coombe Lodge, a property with nine shared ownership flats, where one resident had to take on an extra job due to the increased costs. Alan Rice from Weston Housing Action highlighted that while there was some need for a sinking fund, it made homes unaffordable for residents.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-08,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Residents in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset won a legal battle against their housing association, Curo, over excessive service charge increases. Initially facing monthly fees rising from approximately £70 to more than £300 per month, nine families contested this 300% increase. After taking the issue to tribunal, Curo agreed to limit the charges to just over £100 per month. Alan Rice from Weston Housing Action, which supported the residents, said they are "ecstatic" about the result despite initial skepticism. The conflict arose due to safety measures necessitated by recent building regulations, highlighting the tension between ensuring resident safety and managing financial burdens on leaseholders.
Written for “Curo Service Charge Legal Victory” on 2026-10-08,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.35, but 3 quote(s) could not be found in the article and the other 1 are attributed speech rather than the article's own narration, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 66273: no verified evidence · logged 2026-10-08
- Published
Residents living in a block of flats have won a legal battle against their housing association - after being faced with a service charge increase of more than 300 per cent.
Nine families living in Weston-super-Mare in Somerset had seen their monthly fees go up from about £70 per month to more than £300 a month.
asserted
fees → publish → 300
Housing provider Curo has now agreed to limit the charge to just over £100 after being taken to tribunal.
asserted
Curo → agree → tribunal
A spokesperson for Curo said that it had "already agreed these reductions before the tribunal took place".
asserted
tribunal → say → place
Curo continued: "What we're trying to avoid is large bills that leaseholders aren't expecting.
"
asserted
leaseholders → continue → that
Keeping people safe is our priority, and we need to balance ensuring the right fire safety measures are in place with trying to minimize the financial impact, which we know has been difficult."
asserted
we → keep → impact
Alan Rice from Weston Housing Action said the residents are "ecstatic".
asserted
residents → say → Action
"Quite a few people told us that we wouldn't win, but we were persistent and we got the result we wanted", he added.
asserted
he → tell → result
More from the West
The dispute related to a property called Coombe Lodge.
asserted
dispute → relate → property
It contains nine flats, all of which are shared ownership - a scheme designed to help people get onto the housing ladder by buying a portion of their property, and paying rent to a landlord for the remainder.
asserted
people → contain → remainder
When the service charge went up, one resident said they had to take on an extra job, while others said they were anxious they'd be unable to afford the higher fee.
asserted
they → go → fee
Curo said the extra money was primarily to increase the block's sinking fund, which acts as a long-term savings account for building costs.
asserted
which → say → costs
Rice said that while there is "some need" for a sinking fund, it was "devastating" for residents.
asserted
it → say → residents
He said: "Although they were sold to them as affordable homes, suddenly they weren't affordable any more."
The residents will now be reimbursed the excess charges they have paid.
'Working with residents'
asserted
they → sell → residents
In response, Curo said "There are always maintenance costs linked to owning a flat in a block, and we completely understand that these can be a shock when significant work is needed.
"
asserted
work → say → block
That's why there are sinking funds, which are like a 'savings account' for the whole building, to help flat owners spread the cost across several years."
asserted
owners → be → years
The provider said it hoped it can "continue to work constructively with residents at Coombe Lodge to resolve all the remaining issues going forward".
asserted
it → say → issues
There is no limit on how much a service charge can increase, but a law passed in 2024 should eventually force managing agents to provide a full breakdown of costs.
asserted
law → be → costs
The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act is yet to be fully implemented.
asserted
Act → implement → ?
It promises leaseholders clearer service charge bills, and the right to look back at service charge information over the past six years
asserted
It → promise → years
Samantha Young lives in a Curo-managed block in Twerton in Bath, and said she is going to take her case to the ombudsman after her annual service charge rose from £990 to more than £6,000, which she described as "astronomical."
asserted
she → live → which
This is higher than what you'd paid in zone one in London for flats with gyms and concierges.
asserted
you → pay → gyms
"It quite frankly feels like we're receiving nothing."
asserted
we → feel → nothing
Curo told the BBC it was "having ongoing conversations with Ms Young about how we can work together to resolve this, and we visited her at home this week to agree a way forward".
asserted
we → tell → way
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