Updating post from Reddit.
We live in a block of apartments with communal postboxes on an external wall outside (they are all joined together but each postbox has a key to lock it)
Could someone clarify who should pay to repair a broken postbox please as the management company says it is our issue and refuses to use the service charge to pay for a repair
When I have looked online most comments say that unless it stipulates in the lease we are responsible then the default position is the managers should repair it .
The managers have confirmed that the postbox is part of the communal parts but as it has an individual lock it is our responsibility (I replied back to advise the lease doesn’t say this but they arent interested ). I used an example that when a neighbours intercom broke then the service charge paid for that and that is individual to their use and nobody else can use it so why would the postbox be different )
Anyone have any good legal phrases we can use to push back as the management company are typical of leasehold managers and fleece everyone for what they can so it would be good to get a ‘small win’
It appears that the management company just seem to make the rules up as they go along and make their own decisions even if the lease states otherwise - I imagine they’ve asked around the office who is responsible for the postbox and someone in authority just decides on a whim without knowing the rules
You're absolutely right to challenge this—especially since the management company has acknowledged that the postboxes are part of the communal parts. That admission is key. If the lease doesn’t explicitly state that individual leaseholders are responsible for repairs to their postboxes, then the default legal position is that the freeholder or managing agent is responsible for maintaining and repairing communal areas
You’re not just chasing a “small win”—you’re standing up for fair treatment and proper management
Thank you - really helpful. I have asked for a copy of the statement from the lease and they have screenshot the bit that just mentions common parts (but nothing states anything about individual responsibilities ). I have the email from the property manager that clearly says they agree they are part of the communal parts … like I say, I think they just use conjecture and opinion rather than fact … as you say, my understanding is the default position is they have to fix but as they are a big national company and I am just one leaseholder they kind of just get their own way on everything - I will absolutely push back now though now I know I am right 😃 thanks
Having one reply that you find agreeable doesn’t make you right. Simply ask yourself would every other owner agree they should pay for something that is your responsibility?
Why should I pay for someone else’s intercom then if that is the case ? Like i have said, I welcome others views but I am more concerned with ascertaining the legal aspect here ready for putting it in writing as a complaint (something factual) … and whilst you say it is my responsibility I would argue it isn’t as it is not listed in the lease as such (which is what i am trying to establish on here ) … perhaps if you have something to share that supports your view then that would satisfy my query ? Do you have something in the landlord legislation that confirms your view that mailboxes are tenants/leaseholder issues ?
Post the lease then and we can check.
I do this for a living and I’d generally say that the locks and flaps/hatches are the responsibility of each flat, but the overall box/unit itself would be a service charge item since it’s a shared facility.
It’s unlikely the lease will mention this explicitly but it will have something about media which exclusive serve your property being the leaseholder’s responsibility, hence the position above.
This is what needs to be clear though, not an opinion it’s what the lease / law states … not generally speaking etc etc and if it is the case that anything that serves my flat exclusively is my responsibility then the intercom should not be part of the service charge as I can’t use my tenants intercom but when it broke the management paid for that to be repaired . I suspect a repair will be less than £100 for a basic lock change but it is more the principle especially as they have put the charge up over 50% from last year and as most leaseholders would agree, you don’t really get much for your money …. So i don’t see why I should pay out of my pocket when we pay a communal service charge for these things anyway
You can’t list everything that might be the your own or the management’s responsibility. So you have to apply some common sense or maybe a less emotive word, apply some concepts and principles. Anything that is for your exclusive benefit is your responsibility.
Do your other neighbours use your postbox and have access to your key?
Do your neighbours pay for such repairs via the management fee you pay? They have given you the answer on this.
A broken lock on a postbox would generally depend on how it was broken. If it was fitted faulty then yes it may be the freeholders responsibility, if it were damaged by potential thieves entering the building due to the entrance door not working again that may be the freeholders responsibility, if it were damaged by leaseholder negligence or wear and tear it’s likely the leaseholders responsibility.
There’s a lot of ambiguity around some of these ‘communal’ items for several good reasons.
The example you give of the intercom being broken is because that is a communal system and also any private contractors could cause damage to the workings of that system, just because it only affects one resident doesn’t mean that any repairs won’t affect more residents.
Same as communal pipe work is the freeholders responsibility but individual service pipes are the leaseholders.
There are no good legal phrases to push back against common sense.
Think of your own postbox like your flat, and the building is the wider post box structure.
Would the management company change the locks on your front door for you? No.
My front door isnt communal whereas mailbox is and is listed as part of the common part of the building … again, it’s not about common sense it is about who is legally responsible …and I dont think it is the individual flat owner ..but am interested to hear others views so thanks for commenting 👍🏻