Estate agents lease hold management fee

Hi,



my my flat is a leasehold property to which a pay a fairly small ground rent for each year.



i got the bill through recently from the estate agent who deals with it and they have added a annual management fee which is 3 times the costs of the ground rent?!?



i asked what this is for and was told it was to cover the cost of collection of the ground rent and any other charges due under the lease, acting as a contact point for the freeholder and dealing with any minor management matters that may arise.



dont get me wrong, it's not loads but I'm not sure why I should have to pay for this?? Are they allowed to start charging for this after I've been in the property for 6 years and never had it before.



thanks



daniel

Estate agents lease hold management fee