Couple 'stuck in unsellable home' over service fee

A couple say increases to property service charges mean they have been unable to sell their home and have been forced to put their lives on hold.

Sam and Evangeline Thorn bought their two-bedroom leasehold house in Park 25, in Redhill, Surrey, for £250,000 in 2018. At the time, they paid £2,800 a year in service charges.

Now, however, the freeholder has put up the service charge to £7,520.34, which Sam says is the reason he has been unable to sell the house.

Property management company FirstPort said it is working with homeowners at the development and their local MP Rebecca Paul to address rising costs linked to the development's heat network, and has taken steps to improve transparency.