Skip to content

April 2014 Newsletter

Dear Owners,

Last month, we held our 2014 Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Owners Association (OA), with good support from members through attendance, proxies and hand-delivered / e-mail votes.

As a result, we are now moving ahead with a number of actions particularly relating to the pool – the fixed sun parasols, and the pool rules. We will also be addressing the enhancement of calçada safety measures as people are still driving too fast along the calçada.

Our current Service Provider, GSA, is still operating under significant financial constraints but remains our preferred choice at this time; but we are prepared to work with an alternative company to ensure that QDM standards are well maintained.

……………………………………………………………………….

QDM Updates

Community & Urbanisation Charges (C&U) – With respect to the C&U charges, we will continue to pay monthly in arrears until such time as GSA wish to revert to the previous arrangements, i.e., quarterly in arrears; and we will continue to closely monitor the implementation of the Service Standards through the quarterly surveys and check-list. This is proving to be very effective in ensuring that work is done and, if not, that we receive an agreed discount on the community charges.

For the perennial non-payers, we are continuing to press GSA to take action. The Committee shares the frustrations of the Owners in this respect and sincerely hope that action will be taken soon. Within QDM, access will continue to be restricted at the pool, and on the main Resort, discounts on certain activities will not be available.

We were pleased to note recently that one of our non-payers has now fully repaid their outstanding C&U from recent years, and is now up-to-date.
……………………………………………………………………….

Reserve Fund

In the next few weeks, David Curtis (Treasurer) will be sending out the request for this year’s Reserve Fund contribution (€100 per house). In order to protect the Owners’ money we will continue to hold the Reserve Fund in the OA bank account, with any expenditure being subject to dual signature and Committee approval.

In 2013, there was no expenditure from the Reserve Fund. In 2014, we will continue to develop the Reserve Fund balance in order to cover any unforeseen and major expenditure relating to our core infrastructure; we will also have a cost-sharing arrangement with GSA for the installation of the fixed sun parasols, along with the previously agreed implementation of the speed bumps.
……………………………………………………………………..

OA Subscriptions

Also in the next few weeks, David Curtis will be inviting Owners to pay their 2014 OA subscriptions (€20 per house). These are important, especially if we are required to take legal advice with respect to any new Management Company and associated revised Community Services Agreement, should our current Service Provider go into liquidation.
……………………………………………………………………….

Understanding What You Pay

Some owners at QDM are justifiably confused over the payments they are asked to make each year. The following should clarify some concerns:

Community and Urbanisation (C&U) Charges – These are each individual “Owners” share of the costs relating to the upkeep of the communal areas of QDM. This is paid to GSA and is needed to cover the costs of maintenance and cleaning of all communal properties (pool, gardens, domestic water pumps, pathways) as well as communal water and electricity charges. The costs of providing security patrols are also met from C&U payments. The C&U budget is agreed annually between Vigia and your Committee and is based on actuals from previous years.

Since the beginning of 2014 we have agreed to pay C&U on a monthly basis, the ultimate aim being to have C&U charges invoiced quarterly, thus spreading owners’ annual payments over four smaller amounts. In earlier years the C&U budget included a contingency to cover unforeseen circumstances (such as occurred a few years ago when the domestic water pumping system failed). Several years ago, and for obvious reasons, your committee expressed reservations about Vigia (now GSA) holding large sums on deposit against future costs. Our preferred solution was the Reserve Fund.

Reserve Funds – As stated above, this fund is intended to cover unbudgeted costs, such as the replacement several years ago of the water pumps for the site (At QDM we have our own pumps to supply water to the 49 properties). The Reserve Fund is held and controlled by your OA Committee on your behalf. Under these arrangements the Fund is secure and cannot be accessed/used without the consent of the Committee. The cost is €100 per year per household.

Having this fund in place ensures that the Committee has the necessary resources to respond quickly to emergencies and other unforeseen situations. The fund is audited annually and approved at the AGM.

Sinking Funds – These are the funds maintained on behalf of houses in co-ownership to meet the costs of redecoration, replacement furniture, ongoing repairs and maintenance. Money in these funds are now held by the OA and can only be spent with the full agreement of the individual house concerned.

OA Membership – This is the fee for membership of the QDM Owners Association. The cost is currently €20 per household and funds are held in a Credito Agricola bank account under the control of the OA Committee. These funds meet incidental costs of running the Association on your behalf, including legal fees when necessary.

We encourage all owners to make payment of the above as soon as required.
……………………………………………………………………..

Parking in the Turning Circles

This issue was raised at the AGM, and we would appreciate it if Owners could remind their tenants and their Management Companies that parking is not permitted in the Turning Circles at the end of each of the calçada.
……………………………………………………………………….

Charity Collectors at QDM

A number of Owners have expressed concerns about the numbers of Charity Collectors at QDM. There are a number of official charities that go around and have their official documentation, but if you have any concerns you should immediately call Reception (282 690000) and Reception or Security will respond.
……………………………………………………………………….

UK TV at QDM

In February this year, all of the BBC and ITV channels were moved to the new satellite, with a smaller footprint, thus excluding access to this area. A number of us have moved to Internet TV, with a landline and Internet permanently established. There are a number of companies offering set-top boxes which provide upwards of 30 channels, including all of the BBC and ITV channels, plus Channels 4 and 5, and BBC and Sky News. Over the next couple of months we will assess our experiences and provide more information and recommendations in a specific Newsletter.
……………………………………………………………………….

and finally…

we look forward to your continued support in what are still challenging times for the Resort; and really appreciate that more than 85% of Owners at QDM are members of the Owners Association.

Best regards

David Murphy
Chairman, Executive Committee

Choose your language »