electricity bills on a complex

[mike77777777]

How have you dealt with tenants who do not pay their bills. This mainly concerns electricity bills as the electric company is threatening to cut off the power to everyone on the site due to one bill not being paid....
It appears to be difficult for those who only visit once or twice a year. Do they normally pay on account etc...
Help required....

[Mark G]

It can be very difficult getting everyone to pay their fair share on a complex. It took us a few years to get to know enough about Turkish law, complex and condominium law etc. We had to start a management company and take people to court who had basically taken the **** from the day our complex opened until they day they got their first solicitor's letter telling them they will be prosecuted if they continue to refuse to pay their way.

We are now in a very happy situation whereby every single person on the complex now pays, albeit there is one horrible individual who still refuses to pay until his annual court case forces him to.

As I say, it can be difficult but it is well worth putting in the hours and the groundwork to end up where we are now.

[Scunner]

Great post Mark - perfectly sums up the pre and post situations of complex life - before and after the owners decide to take control. I am confused by Mike's post though - I can't think of any circumstances in which one person not paying their electricity bill could result in everyone on the complex getting cut off. I can't see how this is at all possible. Perhaps I am missing something?

[hubblebubble]

Having just been through this with Aydem for a tenant where the whole site had been cut off- it would appear that where the bills are still in the builders name this can and does happen even when your own bills are up to date and paid regularly.
It is only possible to change the bills to your name with a Tapu thus effectively holding you hostage to paying others bills. Or as Aydem put it 'You have a big problem darling'.

[Scunner]

Yes it had to be that - so it is time to go to the builder and get the services sorted, it's up to them to sort it out.

[Mark G]

Thanks Scunner.

Hi again Mike,

I think a lot of builders of complexes normally keep things in their name for a time after the complex is opened, maybe the first year. And they will sometimes also do the site maintenance themselves or take the responsibilty for said maintenance for that time.

After that, they don't really want this on their hands, nor do they want to get involved with any on site politics or falling out between owners, so it's best for you and the other owners if you could now start your own management company as we did, and take the electricity account, the water account, and the site maintenance into the name of the management company. That way, you can open a bank account in the company name, and MAKE people pay their maintenance money into this account on a regular basis.

If they don't, then you will have to go down the same route we did, and take the debtors to court to recoup the money they owe.

By doing this, you will also be in control of the payments to the electric company, the water company etc. and you will never need to be cut off as you will pay the bills and recoup the share of those bills from those who did not pay through the courts.

You can also have a constitution drawn up for your complex, and have a decision book into which you put decisions which have been voted on at an obligatory and legally binding site meeting. Decisions like;

Any legal fees incurred through having to take people to court who have not paid maintenance fees will be passed on to the debtor and added to the existing debt.

As I said in my earlier post, it's quite time consuming and difficult at times, but once you have these things in place life really does become a whole lot easier.

Don't give up because you WILL feel at times that you are banging your head against a wall, but some people will play on your ignorance of the law, and take advantage of the situation, but once they see that you have done all your homework and got the right systems in place, they WILL come round to the idea that they HAVE to pay their share.

Hope this helps.

[mike77777777]

Thanks guys. Yes we are still in builders name. We are following some of the advice you are advising.. We hope to buy a private villa eventually and this will avoid this sort of problem......we'll probably just find a different set of problems...
Happy New Year to you all.

[maclarke1]

We are on the same complex as Mike, the issue is that the power supply to the complex is not adequate to supply the complex (we are running at 175 volts in our apartment, causing problems with air con etc). We have been told by our solicitor that a new pylon needs to be erected, this is due to happen in May. Untill then we will have to remain on the builders supply.

[shadow]

To Mark G.  Many thanks for all the info you passed on during our chat.  Excellent feedback which will help us towards re assessing the way our complex has been managed and we will re structure the way things are done.  
Would it be a good idea if the committees of different complexes form some sort of association to meet yearly and exchange notes and other necessary info to enable us to learn from each other, have one voice and back each other up when necessary. This does not have to be an official organisation.  
Am at Seaside complex and on the committee. Any comments are very welcome. Do email me if you wish to. Regards to everyone and of course our leader... Scunner.