‘This appeal concerned the validity of a provision in a lease which allows the landlord to revise the proportion of the overall costs of maintaining the wider estate that a leaseholder should pay by way of a service charge.’
UKSC Blog, 8th February 2023
Source: ukscblog.com
‘Landlords of a block of 38 flats in Swansea, Hampshire, are entitled to vary service charges levied on leaseholders, five Supreme Court justices ruled today in a clarification of part of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. The dismissal of the tenants’ appeal was the fourth ruling in a dispute which began when leaseholders objected to the re-apportioning of the charges above those stated on their leases.’
Law Society's Gazette, 8th February 2023
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘In a previous blog, I explored one aspect of the statutory reallocation of risk for the costs of works to remedy building safety issues in the Building Safety Act 2022 (BSA 2022). The focus of that blog was the new landlord’s certificate, designed as a tool for the landlord to communicate with leaseholders as to whether it is “responsible” for defects, or whether it meets the “contribution condition” in the BSA 2022. In this blog, I will focus on the second element of this new framework, the “qualifying lease certificate” or “leaseholder certificate”. The relevant provisions of the BSA 2022 came into force on 28 June 2022, and the related regulations have been in force since 21 July 2022.’
Practical Law: Construction Blog, 25th January 2023
‘Assethold Ltd v Leaseholders Of Corben Mews (LANDLORD AND TENANT – SERVICE CHARGES – whether reasonably incurred – costs of a waking watch) (2022) UKUT 282 (LC). An Upper Tribunal appeal of an FTT decision that the costs of a waking watch were not reasonably incurred by the landlord and so not recoverable under the service charge.’
Nearly Legal, 13th November 2022
Source: nearlylegal.co.uk
‘Assethold Ltd v. Nelio Patricio Teixeira Franco (LANDLORD AND TENANT – SERVICE CHARGES – ADMINISTRATION CHARGES – burden of proof – scope of costs incurred for the purpose of the preparation and service of a notice under section 146 of the Law of Property Act 1925) (2022) UKUT 285 (LC).’
Nearly Legal, 13th November 2022
Source: nearlylegal.co.uk
‘The Supreme Court has refused the City of London Corporation permission to appeal in a dispute with leaseholders of a tower block over whether certain repairs to their homes were chargeable to them, it has emerged.’
Local Government Lawyer, 15th August 2022
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘Mayor and Burgesses of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets v Khan (2022) EWCA Civ 831. A Court of Appeal judgment on whether a freeholder, LB Tower Hamlets, was entitled to contractual legal costs under the lease, following a money claim for unpaid service charges.’
Nearly Legal, 21st June 2022
Source: nearlylegal.co.uk
‘The First Tier Tribunal had been wrong to grant dispensation from section 20 consultation requirements on the basis that the freeholder “had started the consultation process and had kept the leaseholders of flats in the block informed until the works became sufficiently urgent that the respondent had had to carry them out without waiting for the consultation to be completed.”’
Nearly Legal, 3rd April 2022
Source: nearlylegal.co.uk
‘FirstPort Property Services Ltd v Settlers Court RTM Co Ltd [2022] UKSC 1 is a big deal in the world of residential leasehold property disputes. Whilst I can’t say that the result is particuarly surprising, I imagine it has sent lawyers, RTM company directors and the Law Commission into a bit of a spin.’
Nearly Legal, 15th January 2022
Source: nearlylegal.co.uk
‘In a key ruling on the “right to manage” and wider estate facilities, the Supreme Court has overturned the Court of Appeal’s ruling in Gala Unity. Simon Allison and Kimberley Ziya consider the implications.’
Local Government Lawyer, 12th January 2022
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘Some quick notes on leasehold related cases.’
Nearly Legal, 12th December 2021
Source: nearlylegal.co.uk
‘Some quick notes on leasehold related cases.’
Nearly Legal, 12th December 2021
Source: nearlylegal.co.uk
‘A second appeal to the Court of Appeal from the Upper Tribunal on a service charge dispute – a decision we briefly noted as Kensquare Ltd v Adwoa & Anor here. There were two main issues, both of some significance, but the one on the recovery of freeholder’s costs of FTT proceedings through the service charge is likely to be of the broader importance.’
Nearly Legal, 30th November 2021
Source: nearlylegal.co.uk
‘This was a second appeal to the Court of Appeal from the Upper Tribunal on two issues arising from long running litigation between the freeholder, West India Quay and the head lessee, East Tower Apartments (ETAL) on the arrangements for and charging for utilities for the residential parts of the building (a 33 storey tower, including a hotel). The initial proceedings brought by ETAL had gone through the FTT and the Upper Tribunal and had resulted in a significant reduction in charges. For our purposes, the relevant part of these decisions where that ‘Switch 2) – the utility provider – had levied “standing charges” (actually costs for reading meters and preparing bills) from 2008 onwards. The freeholder had included these charges in the utility charge to the lessee. The FTT had found that they were not recoverable, as there had never been “a contractually valid demand for them as service charges, and it was not open to the Landlord to “re-allocate” them as general service charge.”’
Nearly Legal, 5th September 2021
Source: nearlylegal.co.uk
‘A cautionary tale of a Tribunal appointed manager behaving badly and a reminder that the appointed manager’s duty is to carry out what is in the order appointing them, and that they answer to the Tribunal as an officer of the Tribunal.’
Nearly Legal, 30th August 2021
Source: nearlylegal.co.uk
‘Gell v 32 St John’s Road (Eastbourne) Management Company Ltd (2021) EWCA Civ 789. This is one of those cases where the Court of Appeal says “It is perhaps surprising that in the 35 years since the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 was enacted the effect on a claim for service charges of the striking out of a defence has not been determined”, and my first reaction is that really, it is rather surprising that it has come up at all. Nonetheless, it has, and if you have spent 35 years waiting for clarity on this point, you are in luck. However, the judgment does have some significant things to say about referrals to the First Tier Tribunal (PC) from the courts, and the position after a struck out defence.’
Nearly Legal, 6th June 2021
Source: nearlylegal.co.uk
‘In Aster Communities v Chapman & Others [2021] EWCA Civ 660 (“Aster”) the Court of Appeal considered the circumstances in which the First-tier Tribunal (“the FTT”) may grant a landlord dispensation from the service charge consultation requirements prescribed by s. 20 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 (“the 1985 Act”).’
Tanfield Chambers, 10th May 2021
Source: www.tanfieldchambers.co.uk
‘This was the Court of Appeal judgment on an appeal from the Upper Tribunal … where the issue was whether the leaseholders were liable under their service charge for the costs of works by City of London, the freeholder, to remedy structural defects.’
Nearly Legal, 4th April 2021
Source: nearlylegal.co.uk
‘Leaseholders have won a Court of Appeal case against the City of London Corporation over whether certain repairs to their homes are chargeable to them.’
Local Government Lawyer, 31st March 2021
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘Some brief notes on Upper Tribunal and Court of Appeal judgments on leasehold matters.’
Nearly Legal, 6th March 2021
Source: nearlylegal.co.uk
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