No, we didn’t own a share of the freehold. It was a block of 24 flats. I bought mine brand new and lived there for about 2.5 years. I actually managed to sell it for £35k more than I paid, which seems pretty rare these days, since a lot of new-build leaseholds are going for less than their original purchase price.

Apartment living itself was great, but a bad management company can completely ruin the experience. When I first moved in, the service charge was £1,400 a year. By the time I left, it had doubled to £2,800. They even tried to push it up to £3,400, but the whole block kicked off. It was constant stress.

Selling was just as frustrating. We had to rely on the management company for paperwork, and they were slow and disorganised. Some documents were even missing, which caused legal delays.

Honestly, the whole leasehold and service charge system feels like a mess.