Residents living in homes owned by a property management company have expressed concerns about how their accommodation is managed.
Nearly 100 occupiers of homes run by FirstPort in Melton and Felixstowe, met with Suffolk Coastal MP Jenny Riddell-Carpenter to discuss issues they had, including poor communication, high fees and property mismanagement.
Separate meetings were held in Melton and Felixstowe where residents discussed long-running issues, including lack of transparency around service charges, delays in essential maintenance, unanswered complaints and a lack of accountability.
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FirstPort representatives were present for the Melton meeting, giving residents the opportunity to put their frustrations directly to them.
They described situations where requests had gone unanswered for months and where promised repairs or information had failed to materialise.
A spokesperson for FirstPort said: “We appreciate the opportunity to collectively hear from residents, and we are committed to responding to the requests raised in the meeting.
“Across the business, we’ve already started making changes to improve how we communicate, manage services, and provide clearer information on service charges.
“We’re continuing to engage with residents and MPs and we welcome proposals for stronger regulation to help drive improvements across the sector.”
The MP is taking up individual resident's cases and is asking FirstPort to provide written responses to the issues raised.
She said: “These two meetings showed the level of frustration that residents have with their managing agent, FirstPort.
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"They’ve been letting down residents for years and some pretty basic expectations haven’t been met – like cost breakdowns, management accounts, communications, or timely repairs.
“Many of these residents are in later living or retirement homes, and have poured their life savings into these properties – they deserve better than what they’re receiving.
“I’ll keep working with residents, will continue to raise these issues directly with FirstPort and will keep working with colleagues in parliament to push for greater oversight and accountability.”
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