Thankyou very much for your help waterbottle and gazebo. Gazebo, to be honest I think in the lease it said that we need to pay maintenance charges 6 months in advance. Probably I must be one of those who have taken their mortgage without reading properly and trying to amend any statements before signing papers. Considering I was excited by having my first mortgage and without missing a good deal. Here I was thinking that maybe there is some kind of arrangement by laws I can make. Re waterbottle comments, really I am not a long way behind with payments I think. For an example. Our maintainance charges is about £1600 a year paid six monthly. Let's say on 15 December they sent an invoice of £800 to be paid by 31 December. I couldn't have money in time. I went to pay half of the money through their bank account on the 07th January. Next I have received a letter from their debt collector. I replied to them. Obviously they sent my letter back to their client. Last week I went to the agent office. One of the staff was saying that as from now on I will have to deal with their debt collector. So far I have paid half of the fees through their bank accout. I have got receipt from the bank. The other half of the money I told them I will try to pay it by the middle of the next month. Now my concerns are the administration charges I haven't been paying. By laws, do I have to pay it? Consider my IVA, if we go to court, what is likely to be the outcoume? I am really struggling financially, obviously I cannot affor a lawyer. What to do?

Hello everyone. I am a new lad in the area and I would like to say hi and congratulate all of you who tried to help each other. Well done. I have got 3 problems which are slightly different from the banking sector. Since last year I have been in financial troubles. Finally I manage to get on IVA. And the IVA went through on June 07. I am left with a minimum to see through a month. The problem is that I live in a block of Flats (10 storey building), which means that I have to pay maintenance charges and it is paid twice a year. Invoices are usually issued in June or December of each year. However they do give only about 3 weeks to pay the total amount of money. Because of my particular situation (IVA), I have approached the maintenance agent to explain my financial problems, that I CANNOT PAY THE TOTAL AMOUNT in one lump sum. I have tried to negotiate an alternative method of payment. I offer to pay monthly or by instalments, which they declined. I used to go to their office to settle the debt by making cash payments. In November 2007 I attempted to make a cash payment, which they refused to take and said that they are referring my case to a Debt Collector. I didn't know what else to do. I went through my paperwork to find they bank account and I start paying them as I go. Because I couldn't find the money to pay everything in one go, they refer to a debt collector who added their fees and everytime the maintenance agent send me a letter to remind me with outstanding balance they keep increase with an administration fees of £25. I just think don't think it is right for them to keep charging these fees. I am stuck here as I can sell the flat not before I finish with my IVA. Please, anybody outhere to help. I am loosing sleep and I am loosing weight about this.