A HOUSING association has defended its service charges after one of its Essex residents appeared in a BBC One documentary about the plight of leaseholders.

Property lawyer Keeley Livingstone appeared on television on Friday evening (November 22), claiming she had found more than £100,000 worth of unnecessary charges on her and her neighbours’ service charge bills.

The association, Notting Hill Genesis, did not dispute the figures when contacted by the Echo.

Keeley bought a two-bedroom, shared-ownership flat near Chelmsford train station, in part to reduce her daily car use to and from work.

But she said she was naturally on high alert for potential service charge hikes.

“I have been a property lawyer for 25 years and because I’m a lawyer I look at service charges for other clients, so I naturally will just go through mine,” she told BBC Local Investigations.

“There were a few things on there that just didn’t look right, or I just wanted more clarification on.”

They included “high” charges for concierge and security staff residents hadn’t even seen, she alleged.

“That was removed - £98,000 worth,” said Keeley.

“So that was a little win for us.”

In total, she estimated that by the end of this financial year, she will have saved herself and her neighbours a collective £140,000.

Keeley’s case was one of several from London and the east of England to be featured in The Leasehold Trap, a half-hour BBC One investigation into “skyrocketing” service charges.

“It’s just like a level of stress that’s always kind of humming in the background,” she said.

Notting Hill Genesis told the BBC it had saved concierge and security costs by cutting back on overnight shifts.

Contacted by the Echo, it said service charges were rising due to “the general rise in energy costs, as well as increased fire safety investigation and insurance costs".

“We have worked hard to limit the impact on leaseholders as much as we can, but costs have risen across the industry. The Property Institute reported an average service charge increase of 41% in the period from 2019.”

It added: “As part of the regular budget-setting process we present estimated costs for residents so they can have a say on the proposed changes before the budget is implemented.

“Following a meeting with the chair of the residents’ association we found ways to reduce the estimated budget for the upcoming financial year.”

*The Leasehold Trap is available on BBC iPlayer.