NEM - SFA Charge Increase
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NEM - SFA Charge Increase
For those of us that are in ground tours and living in SFA, I was wondering if there had been any shockers wrt the increase in charges wef 1 Apr? And if anyone had received good gen on challenging the CAAS banding?
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I guess if the service level goes up, ie repairs and maintenance done promptly then it's not too hard to stomach, the rises are meant to be be in stages I think. However if the standard of service is anything like an RAF station near here, accommodation and mess kitchens without hot water for over a month now, it could be another straw on the camels back.
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Think it something like 50/50 between likely increase and stay same/decrease....but some of the increases could be eye watering..appeals process pretty straightforward and all on CAAS letters going out to all SFA...even a blank challenge template on DII...used it this week
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Appeal is easy, winning something else. SiL won a downgrade but took near his whole tour to do so. Essentially you are alleging someone didn't do their job properly.
I spend hours on the phone to Carillion-Amey on an almost weekly basis telling them in no uncertain terms that they aren't doing their jobs properly. It seems to be water off a duck's back to them.
If you don't know the terms, it probably doesn't apply to you so you don't need to worry. It's a terms and conditions thing that people came here for advice about, not really to air in public.
Perhaps not, but sometimes the guys might need to be outside the wire.
I wasn't criticising you, but if it's a thread that doesn't interest us why don't we leave them to it?
I wasn't criticising you, but if it's a thread that doesn't interest us why don't we leave them to it?
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It is mind numbingly boring given that it's absolutely nothing to do with aviation.
However some of us aren't entitled to Famlies Quarters for our famlies and have always had to pay full market prices to rent a house in the private sector or buy a place not necessarilary where we might to. Even if your quarter goes up by 18% you are still getting a bloody good deal.
However some of us aren't entitled to Famlies Quarters for our famlies and have always had to pay full market prices to rent a house in the private sector or buy a place not necessarilary where we might to. Even if your quarter goes up by 18% you are still getting a bloody good deal.
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Even if your quarter goes up by 18% you are still getting a bloody good deal.
Essentially you are alleging someone didn't do their job properly.
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It's Not About The Deal, It's About The Offer
Even if your quarter goes up by 18% you are still getting a bloody good deal.
At the moment my FQ is Grade IV, which apparently equates to CAAS Band H, but under the CAAS assessment it has mysteriously risen to Band B.
My pay, of course, has been going up by 0.6% after tax. In actual terms, the pay goes up by £360 PA, whilst the cost of the FQ goes up by £3,427 PA. In effect, for no change in quality, no increase in levels of service (still waiting for a part for the boiler which was allegedly ordered in Nov 15) and no improvement in available facilities, I will be paying an EXTRA £3,067 PA.
The generally lower cost of service housing is, or was, part of The OFFER, which our VSOs are so obsessed with when they bemoan the inability to retain or recruit. Well my OFFER is reducing massively and I would be amazed if I am alone in that.
I don't believe this is making things better or even fairer for the vast majority of the military. Oh and as for incompetence, people on this patch do not all have the same assessment of amenities and we already know that our FQ has been over-assessed and will be challenging it.
STH
STH,
Good luck with the challenge. As PN noted correctly, appealing is one thing, winning another.
I was in JHC HQ a couple of tours back, just as it moved from Wilton to Andover. They suddenly realised they didn't have a big enough Mess for a 4* and 2* HQ on the same site and proceeded to chuck up a couple of SLAM blocks. All was fine until the Garrison HQ noticed that the proximity of the West Coast train line was such that the grading was too high, and that when taken into account alongside all the other factors the shiny new SLAM blocks weren't actually grade one.
And what do you think happened to that case??? Correct, politically too embarrassing, case dismissed carry on overpaying
If there is any choice about living on base these days or living in my own home, well there's just no choice and I genuinely do feel for those stuck on base full time without the prospect of weekend parole to civilisation.
Good luck with the challenge. As PN noted correctly, appealing is one thing, winning another.
I was in JHC HQ a couple of tours back, just as it moved from Wilton to Andover. They suddenly realised they didn't have a big enough Mess for a 4* and 2* HQ on the same site and proceeded to chuck up a couple of SLAM blocks. All was fine until the Garrison HQ noticed that the proximity of the West Coast train line was such that the grading was too high, and that when taken into account alongside all the other factors the shiny new SLAM blocks weren't actually grade one.
And what do you think happened to that case??? Correct, politically too embarrassing, case dismissed carry on overpaying
If there is any choice about living on base these days or living in my own home, well there's just no choice and I genuinely do feel for those stuck on base full time without the prospect of weekend parole to civilisation.
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I'm in grade 4 accom that has just been 'Up banded' almost doubling the rent. The reason that the Carrillion Amey service is identical to or worse than Medieval Housing Solutions is that they are using identical staff and contractors.
Strangely the lettet telling me that my rent would be increasing due to up banding came about 3 week BEFORE they surveyed the house for condition.....
BUT, IT ISN'T A MONEY MAKING EXERCISE!!
Strangely the lettet telling me that my rent would be increasing due to up banding came about 3 week BEFORE they surveyed the house for condition.....
BUT, IT ISN'T A MONEY MAKING EXERCISE!!
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To be fair mice can get into any house and isn't the fault of the housing folk, put some traps down.
So rent goes up by , apparently 300%, making an extra £3400ish per year. This means you are currently paying peanuts (and have been for how many years?) and even with such an increase its still significantly less than market rate for rents in the private sector and still a bloody good deal. I'm not allowed a Famlies Quarter for my family so have always had to pay significantly more than those who are allowed quarters for their families. Whining about an increase that still makes your rent very cheap is beginning to fall on deaf ears. Look how much you would have to pay for something equivalent in the private rental market then try and tell me what a hardship it is paying for a quarter.
So rent goes up by , apparently 300%, making an extra £3400ish per year. This means you are currently paying peanuts (and have been for how many years?) and even with such an increase its still significantly less than market rate for rents in the private sector and still a bloody good deal. I'm not allowed a Famlies Quarter for my family so have always had to pay significantly more than those who are allowed quarters for their families. Whining about an increase that still makes your rent very cheap is beginning to fall on deaf ears. Look how much you would have to pay for something equivalent in the private rental market then try and tell me what a hardship it is paying for a quarter.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Melchett, quite, that was one of my SiL s points. They were about 300 yards off centerline about 3 miles out of the air field. Furthermore security shutters were confirmed by the manufacturer as non-security et etc