This thread went viral because its a right rollicking read. There’s a bigger picture going on too, but it might take you a while to spot it.

1/ I can't believe what's happening in the block of flats I live in. There are 40 homes here and we all pay a small yearly service charge to a management firm. — Alistair King (@Alistair_King) June 4, 2018

2/ Some of my fellow residents don’t think the firm provides good value for money and doesn’t give us enough choice in the way it operates, despite the transparent consultative process. — Alistair King (@Alistair_King) June 4, 2018

3/ I disagree. They’re cheap, they keep the corridors clean and the paintwork shiny, they liaise with utilities providers, and they have the heft to negotiate well with contractors. — Alistair King (@Alistair_King) June 4, 2018

4/ They also operate a fair policy on new tenants and leaseholders, although some of the other householders get agitated about newcomers, even though they’re quick to help out around the place. — Alistair King (@Alistair_King) June 4, 2018

5/ Still, we had a vote to decide whether to ditch the firm. I didn’t want the vote but I had to go along with it and I voted to keep them, as I like them and didn’t believe the promises about the alternatives. — Alistair King (@Alistair_King) June 4, 2018

6/ But my side lost. 28 of the 40 flats voted and the other side won by 15 votes to 13. So we gave notice to the firm. I said we should hold off till we’d found a replacement but was shouted down. — Alistair King (@Alistair_King) June 4, 2018

7/ Their notice period is nearly up and we’ve made no progress in finding a replacement. And the outgoing firm are refusing to address the subsidence, rising damp and leaking roof. — Alistair King (@Alistair_King) June 4, 2018

8/ They say that it can’t be fixed before their contract ends and they don’t think we’ll pay them – which is a fair concern, I think, especially as we’ve been so obstinate about the final payment we owe. — Alistair King (@Alistair_King) June 4, 2018

9/ There’s also a problem with the path from the pavement to the main entrance, meaning deliveries can’t be made – which, again, is understandably something they’re unwilling to fix now. — Alistair King (@Alistair_King) June 4, 2018

10/ They’re nice guys, though, and despite the way we’ve treated them, they’ve said that if we want to reconsider – keeping our existing, very favourable terms – before the end of the contract, we can. — Alistair King (@Alistair_King) June 4, 2018