Hebburn residents battle with ‘disgraceful’ maintenance company after being referred to debt collectors

Residents on the Westburn Village new build estate in Hebburn have branded a property management company as a “disgrace” after work stalls on community areas.

The Gazette understands that RMG Living took over site maintenance of the estate from Miller Homes, which includes work such as grass cutting and de-weeding.

For the service, the company is charging residents on the estate £177 a year to cover the costs of the maintenance; however, residents are now saying that the work is not getting done.

Carl Middleton, 51, is one of the residents on the estate and he has explained why he is refusing to pay the charges that RMG is asking for.

Residents have been doing some of the work themselves. | Other 3rd Party

The supermarket delivery driver said: “Nothing is getting done, the entrance to the site is very messy and there is still bits of rubble left in the grass from the initial construction phase.

“None of the communial areas are being looked after, the other week they sorted a couple of them but nothing has been done since.

“Everywhere is just a picture of weeds, in some places the weeds are up to your knees, it is a disgrace.

“I visit a lot of new build estates when I’m driving for work and I can honestly say that this one looks the worst out of any that I’ve seen.

Rubble is still at the entrance to the estate. | Other 3rd Party

“Some of the residents are now taking matters into their own hands and doing the work themselves, it is a new estate with some of the houses costing between £300,000 and £400,000 so we just want it to look nice.”

As Carl has refused to pay for work that he says isn’t getting done, RMG Living has now referred him to a debt collector which is adding on costs and even contacting his mortgage lender to try and reclaim the money.

He added: “We have a residents WhatsApp group as a lot of us have refused to pay, we want to see the work being done before we pay.

“However, RMG have gone to Property Debt Collection (PDC) who has added on costs so far up to the total of £900.

Residents say that some areas are just a “picture of weeds”. | Other 3rd Party

“My mortgage lender has been in touch to say that PDC has contacted them for the money, I have had to instruct them not to pay anything.

“What we are going through isn’t nice at all, we have tried to contact RMG on a number of occasions yet we can hardly get a response from them.

“Our residents group has discovered a Facebook group which is full of complaints about RMG and they all follow the same pattern.

“No work gets done, residents refuse to pay or are unable to get a response from RMG and then PDC are brought in to recover the costs - it feels like a total scam company.”

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RMG Living has told the Gazette that some areas of the site are yet to be under their management and have said they will make efforts to recover costs if residents do not communicate with them.

A spokesperson for RMG Living commented: “RMG has been the managing agent at the development since September 2022.

“The development is being handed over on a phased basis; we are, therefore, not currently managing all areas of the development.

“We are confident that the areas under our management are being regularly maintained and to a high standard.

Residents are wanting RMG to carry out the work before they pay them. | Other 3rd Party

“Within all of our communication, we make it clear to all customers how to contact us should they wish to discuss any matters, including the charges being incurred.

“If we do not receive communication, we will make an effort to collect the charges due. We request that any customer with concerns contacts us via our 24/7 Customer Service Centre.”