APARTMENT owners in many of Northern Ireland's upmarket new developments have been warned they could be left footing the bill after a major property management firm went bankrupt.

DMS Property Management, which looks after communal facilities in a number of exclusive developments including Margarita Plaza in Belfast city centre, was the subject of a bankruptcy order on August 10.

Liam Napier, who owns one of the 86 apartments in Margarita Plaza, said he paid the annual £750 fee for management of communal facilities to DMS at the start of the year, but fears he and his fellow owners will now be left with the unpaid bills.

He says DMS had been appointed to manage the facilities without the apartment owners having any say.

The annual general meeting was due to be held at the end of August but, according to Mr Napier, it was called off because a key DMS employee was unable to attend through illness.

Mr Napier says he had hoped to raise some of the problems with the management of the building at that meeting, after the electricity at Margarita Plaza was turned off several times without any explanation.

Now he fears that the lack of regulation in the property management sector will leave the apartment owners landed with any bills owing to other companies.

DMS said that all inquiries were now being handled by insolvency company McKeague Morgan, which has been appointed as trustees following the firm's bankruptcy.

Mickey McKeague, of McKeague Morgan, says apartment owners will have to sit tight while a number of issues are sorted out between them, the management company and the new managing agent.

This will mean ascertaining what the expenditure is on each apartment block and whether any money is owed.

Mr McKeague said: "It could be a wee while before there is a clear picture."

However, Brian Sweeney, director of Rent, another company involved in letting and property management, believes the apartment owners will end up having to pay the bills.

At the weekend, his company took out a full-page advertisement in a newspaper inviting apartment owners in 58 of the affected developments to get in contact.

Mr Sweeney said that collectively the apartment owners will be able to improve their bargaining power when it comes to negotiating over any unpaid bills.

The affected apartments

The full list of the apartments affected are:

Abbey Road Mews, Acornhill, Ballycraigy, Mourne Hall, Bell Towers, Brooklands Court, Carlinns Grove, Casement Court, Castle Grange, Chancellors Court, Chichester Manor, Chlorine Mews, College Mews, Doire Beag, Eglantine Studios, Glinn Ree Court, Hampton Court, Helgor Park, Lagmore Glen, Langtry Court, Lucas Building, Margarita Plaza, Marine Sands, Myrtlefield Manor, New Forge House, Nova Studios, Palmerston Court, Parkgate Place, 16 Deramore Park, Promenade Apartments, Quaygate, Ribble Gate, Richmond Green, Riverfront, Riveroaks, Riverview Ridge, Rodgers Bay, Rugby House, Shaftsbury Court, St Ives, St John's Wharf, Stockdam Glen, Kilwarlin, The Courtyard, The Parks, The Quays Dundrum, Upper Malone, Waterfoot, Waterfront House, Windsot Chase, Windsor Manor Mews, Brookhill and Jubilee, Seafront House, Glen Hill Park, Floral Project, Downview Manor and Mount Eagles Ave and Mount Eagles.