Why service charges in flats spiralled out of control

BBCIn 2016, Michele McInroy was overjoyed to pick up the keys to her new home - a two-bedroom flat in a refurbished building in Woolwich, south London. But her joy soon soured.Communal areas were neglected, lifts didn’t work and repairs went unfixed, Michele says. Earlier this year, her service charge increased to around £10,000 a year, marking a 320% rise in five years.Michele, who works as a civil servant,…