Self-managed associations

[DAVEM]

We are a self- managed allotment association ( 110 members) with little or no support from our local authority.How well are you supported? What do you get from them ? What rents/subs do you charge your plotholders? Who collects and how much are you allowed to charge? Any concessions - eg for pensioners ?
There are other questions too - but I am just testing the water here to see if there is anyone out there who might be able to help us now and further.

[Snadger]

You will no doubt have to pay a total ground rent to someone, be it the Council or a private landlord?
Any other services or outgoings will also have to be taken into consideration, ie water rates, Public Liability insurance,key money etc.
Then it's a simple matter of dividing the outgoings by 110, and that would be the plotholders rent ( if all plots are let that is?)

We have 40 plots on land leased from the Council on a running three year lease (fiixed rent for at least three years)
We are allowed under the terms of the lease to charge a maximum of £50 per annum and and we are at present charging £40 which we hope to be able to do next year and still cover costs.

We charge new plot holders £10 for a main gate key which is redeemable if they leave. This means we must keep at least £400 in the kitty at all times in case the association folds and we need to give key money back.
We are allowed to charge less rent for pensioners and unemeployed but given that the majority are pensioners and unemployed we would not have enough to cover costs.
The landlord (The local Council) have recently stipulated we must have Public Liability insurance which we have taken out from Newspace (an offshot of NSALG) From memory this is a site insurance which is about £75 in total for the year.
We have a twelve page tenancy agreementy which seems to change in small details every three years and it's a case of 'take it or leave it'!

Hope this is some help, but I can't hep wondering with 110 plots is this a site that is already in existance and what has the previous procedure been?

[Headfry]

Hi DAVEM, I am a trustee on a small self-managed site.
Our plots are £10 or £5 depending on size
We get NO help from the local authorities.
I was able to get a small grant to supply water and water collection at the site.

It is hard going, I tend to call it 'Plotenders' - better than watching Eastenders at times, but I love the site, the people that tend the plots and the work of being a trustee!

[DAVEM]

Many thanks for your comments. We have been self-managed for 7 years on the same lease all through. We are limited currently to charging just £30 max, 30% of which we can keep for Association needs. Like you we have a key deposit system and have done improvements to the site etc using funds raised. Our Authority give us no help at all and when things go a bit wrong as they have recently with one of our members, they were useless ! Did you ever evict anyone??
We have a waiting list of 54 - we seem to be doing a good job. We have insurance cover too and I can get details if you wish.
Thanks again for your help - need any in return?

[DAVEM]

Thanks for your reply. Sounds as if you are doing a good job there - are the plots private or leased from the local authority? We are allowed to charge £30 , 70% of which goes to them we keep the rest for improvements to the site.