Questions, answered plainly
The honest answers a clear-headed neighbour would give you. This is general information, not legal advice.
The basics
It's an annual charge paid by freehold homeowners on a managed estate towards maintaining shared areas the council hasn't adopted — roads, green space, drainage and play areas. You own your home outright and still pay it, because the obligation is written into your deeds.
On many newer estates the council never adopts the communal areas, so they stay in private hands. Someone has to maintain them, and that cost lands on residents through the estate charge.
Reasonable things residents share: maintaining unadopted roads and lighting, grounds maintenance, drainage, play areas, insurance, and a fair share of admin. What it shouldn't quietly cover is an open-ended management fee with no breakdown.
Your rights
You can ask for a proper, itemised breakdown of what you're charged, question work that wasn't done, and challenge charges that aren't reasonable or aren't permitted by your deeds. New rights under the 2024 Act are strengthening this.
Part 5 of the Act is switching on new rights for residents on managed estates — including clearer information and routes to challenge unreasonable charges. It's being turned on in stages, which is why we date-stamp our guides.
No. Comuna gives you general information to get your bearings. Your exact rights depend on your estate's deeds and your transfer, so check yours and take advice before acting on anything that matters.
About Comuna
Yes, completely. We're on the resident's side, we don't work for the managing agent, and we hold no client money.
It's free for an individual resident to understand their charge and check whether it's fair. The paid Estate plan is for the management company or residents' association that runs the estate.
No, and we won't pretend otherwise. The realistic saving is bounded — fairer charges and better-run admin, not a magic cut. We'll always be straight with you about what's achievable.