Avon Ground Rents Limited v (1) Cowley and others (2) Metropolitan Housing Trust (3) Advance (4) May Hempstead Partnership – Tanfield Chambers

Posted January 28th, 2020 in landlord & tenant, leases, news, service charges, third parties by sally

‘Likely payments from third parties, including insurers, may be considered when the assessing what sums are reasonable and accordingly payable in respect of service charges in advance under s.19 (2) Landlord and Tenant Act 1985.’

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Tanfield Chambers, 21st January 2020

Source: www.tanfieldchambers.co.uk

On not being entitled to make decisions, let alone wrong ones – Nearly Legal

‘An Upper Tribunal appeal decision where just about everything that could have been wrong about the first instance First Tier Tribunal decision was.’

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Nearly Legal, 5th January 2020

Source: nearlylegal.co.uk

East Tower Apartments Limited v No.1 West India Quay Residential Limited LON/00BG/LSC/2014/0329 – Tanfield Chambers

Posted December 4th, 2019 in leases, news, service charges, utilities by sally

‘The long-running saga of East Tower Apartments Limited v No.1 West India Quay Residential Limited continues.

The landlord has been given permission to appeal to the Upper Tribunal on the issue of whether a demand under Section 20B(1) must be a contractually valid demand. If the landlord is successful, this will likely require the Upper Tribunal to find that Brent London Borough Council v Schulem B Association Ltd [2011] 1 WLR 3014 was wrongly decided.’

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Tanfield Chambers, 29th November 2019

Source: www.tanfieldchambers.co.uk

Triplerose Ltd v Ms Bronwen Stride [2019] UKUT 99 (LC) – Tanfield Chambers

Posted December 4th, 2019 in expert witnesses, landlord & tenant, leases, news, service charges, surveyors by sally

‘There was inadequate evidence to conclude that a lease was ‘unsatisfactory’ for the purposes of s.35 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1987 (‘the 1987 Act’), and an FTT order varying the lease was overturned. The FTT decision finding no prejudice due to a lack of expert evidence was also set aside: this decision could not stand in circumstances where an application to adjourn to obtain expert evidence had been refused due to their being an expert surveyor on the panel.’

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Tanfield Chambers, 29th November 2019

Source: www.tanfieldchambers.co.uk

Westlake Estates v Yinusa [2019] UKUT 225 (LC) – Tanfield Chambers

Posted December 4th, 2019 in landlord & tenant, news, service, service charges by sally

‘For the purposes of Section 47 of the 1987 Act, where only one address is contained in the invoice, this is sufficient. Where more than one address is given, the landlord’s address should be clearly identified.’

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Tanfield Chambers, 29th November 2019

Source: www.tanfieldchambers.co.uk

Ghosh v Hanover Gate Mansions Ltd [2019] UKUT 290 (LC) – Tanfield Chambers

Posted December 4th, 2019 in agency, consultations, contracts, news, service charges by sally

‘A contract between a landlord and a managing agent was found to have come into existence when the performance of management services commenced and not on the date of the landlord’s payment for the services provided. In the circumstances, the particular contract was a qualifying long term agreement and the statutory consultation requirements under section 20 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 were applicable.’

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Tanfield Chambers, 29th November 2019

Source: www.tanfieldchambers.co.uk

Camden LBC v Morath [2019] UKUT 193 (LC) – Tanfield Chambers

Posted December 4th, 2019 in landlord & tenant, leases, news, service charges by sally

‘The First-tier Tribunal had been correct to refuse a local authority landlord’s application under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1987 section 35 to vary 28 subleases granted to the occupiers of flats. The fact that those sublessees made a lower contribution by way of service charges to the landlord’s expenses than the sublessees of other flats in the same development did not mean that their subleases failed, for the purposes of section 35(2), to “make satisfactory provision” for the recovery of expenditure.’

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Tanfield Chambers, 29th November 2019

Source: www.tanfieldchambers.co.uk

Councils and housing associations “face multi-million pound refunds to tenants after water re-selling test case in High Court – Local Government Lawyer

‘Local authorities and housing associations could face having to refund millions of pounds to tenants after a council lost a test case in the High Court on water re-selling, it has been claimed.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 2nd December 2019

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Upper Tribunal roundup (The Very Late Summer 2019 edition) – Nearly Legal

Posted November 7th, 2019 in costs, housing, landlord & tenant, leases, news, service charges, tribunals by tracey

‘There have been a fair few recent (and perhaps no-so-recent) decisions from the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) on leasehold matters, so it’s time for a bit of a round up.’

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Nearly Legal, 5th November 2019

Source: nearlylegal.co.uk

Golding v Martin [2019] EWCA Civ 446 – Tanfield Chambers

‘The Court of Appeal determined whether the existence of the right to relief from forfeiture amounts to a prospect of “success” at trial when considering an application under CPR r.39.3 to set aside a possession Order.’

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Tanfield Chambers, 29th October 2019

Source: www.tanfieldchambers.co.uk

Right to manage still extends across shared estate, despite practical difficulties – Tanfield Chamber

Posted September 4th, 2019 in landlord & tenant, news, service charges by sally

‘Property analysis: A right to manage (RTM) company succeeded in its claim in the First-tier Tribunal (FTT) that the tenants of a block of flats which was part of a larger estate no longer had to pay an estate charge to the management company of the estate because the RTM company had already acquired the right to manage the estate as appurtenant property. The freeholder appealed to the Upper Tribunal and unsuccessfully sought to persuade it that the 2012 Court of Appeal Gala Unity decision on this point was wrong.’

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Tanfield Chambers, 30th August 2019

Source: www.tanfieldchambers.co.uk

Mother and son beat autistic man to death with rocks and branches because he used footpath on their land – The Independent

Posted August 13th, 2019 in autism, malicious falsehood, murder, news, sentencing, service charges by tracey

‘A mother and son have been been handed life sentences after murdering a marathon runner who crossed their land. Carol Dawson, 72, and Scott Dawson, 41, shot Gary Dean in the back with an air rifle and beat him with rocks and branches in a premeditated attack, a court heard.’

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The Independent, 12th August 2019

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Gimme Gimme Gimme – Nearly Legal

Posted May 20th, 2019 in appeals, housing, landlord & tenant, news, service charges, tribunals by tracey

‘Curo Places Ltd v Pimlett (LANDLORD AND TENANT – service charges – tenancy agreement of a bungalow in a sheltered housing scheme) (2019) UKUT 130 (LC). Another Upper Tribunal case on a landlord adding additional services and charges to assured tenancy agreements, but where Wilcock v The Guinness Partnership Ltd (2019) UKUT 146 (LC) (our report) concerned an agreement with specified services only, this appeal concerned a tenancy agreement with a clause that did allow the landlord to add additional services and charge for them.’

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Nearly Legal, 19th May 2019

Source: nearlylegal.co.uk

Council wins Upper Tribunal battle over service charge and replacement central heating – Local Government Lawyer

‘The Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) has ruled that the London Borough of Southwark can recover a service charge for work in a leaseholder’s flat after the First Tier Tribunal (FTT) said nothing was payable.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 7th March 2019

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Service charge claims – paying trial fees and concurrent jurisdiction – Nearly Legal

Posted November 12th, 2018 in fees, jurisdiction, leases, news, service charges by tracey

‘Hyslop v 38/41 CHG Residents Company Ltd QBD 05/11/2018. CHG were the freeholder of a property with various leasehold flats. The FTT had determined that Ms Hyslop and other leaseholders owed CHG certain service charges. H applied to the Upper Tribunal for permission to appeal out of time and this was granted. However CHG then brought a claim in the county court against H for non payment of service charges over a five year period.’

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Nearly Legal, 8th November 2018

Source: nearlylegal.co.uk

When service charges become indisputable – Nearly Legal

Posted August 22nd, 2018 in default judgments, landlord & tenant, news, service charges, striking out by sally

‘Tenants/Leaseholders can seek a determination of the payability and reasonableness of service charges under s.27A Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. It has been something of a question about how far back a challenge can extend in terms of service charge years. While this Upper Tribunal decision is not a complete answer, it does address some of the ways in a which a service charge can become unchallengeable.’

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Nearly Legal, 19th August 2018

Source: nearlylegal.co.uk

Whose jurisdiction is it anyway? – Nearly Legal

Posted June 29th, 2018 in jurisdiction, news, repossession, service charges by tracey

‘Avon Ground Rents Ltd v Child [2018] UKUT 204 (LC). As many readers of this blog will be aware we have a number of different courts and tribunals involved in residential property. In some cases, notably leasehold service charges, there is sometimes a need to engage with two of these entities (namely the County Court and the First Tier Tribunal) in the same matter. This situation arises particularly where a money judgement or possession order is sought for non-payment of service charges and is defended on the basis that the charge is unreasonable or excessive. This question is properly a matter for the FTT and under s176A of the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 the County Court may transfer to the FTT “so much of the proceedings as relate to the determination of that question”. This is an enormous amount of hassle and in an effort to improve the situation there has been a CJC-led pilot running whereby FTT Judges (all of whom are also County Court judges by virtue of s5, County Courts Act 1984) actually sit “double-hatted” dealing with the FTT and Courts aspects in one go. This has been described in an entertaining speech by Vos LJ as a “sticking plaster” and is one of the reasons for calls for reform and a single Housing Court (although see NL on that topic here).’

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Nearly Legal, 28th June 2018

Source: nearlylegal.co.uk

The costs of dangerous cladding – leaseholders position – Nearly Legal

Posted March 27th, 2018 in costs, health & safety, housing, landlord & tenant, news, repairs, service charges by tracey

‘First Tier Tribunal LON/00AH/LSC/2017/0435 – Firstport Property Services Ltd v various leaseholders of Citiscape. We previously saw the Salford decision on the costs of a ‘waking watch’ in a tower with ‘Grenfell’ style cladding, but this was the first, keenly awaited, decision on the liability of leaseholders of an affected building (here in Croydon) to pay for the costs of removal and replacement of such cladding under their leases.’

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Nerarly Legal, 26th March 2018

Source: nearlylegal.co.uk

Homeowners battle freeholder over £20,000 ‘Grenfell bill’ – Daily Telegraph

Posted March 5th, 2018 in housing, landlord & tenant, London, news, repairs, service charges, tribunals by tracey

‘Residents of a luxury north London apartment block are battling their freeholder over who should pay a multi-million-pound bill to replace dangerous Grenfell-style cladding, and for the wages of fire marshals.’

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Daily Telegraph, 5th March 2018

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Westmark (Lettings) Limited v Peddle & Ors [2017] UKUT 449 (LC) – Tanfield Chambers

Posted January 9th, 2018 in appeals, costs, landlord & tenant, news, service charges, tribunals by sally

‘For the purposes of Section 20B(1) of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 (“the 1985 Act”) a relevant cost is incurred by an intermediate landlord when that intermediate landlord receives a demand from its own landlord in respect of services provided by it or a superior landlord. A residential tenant’s 18-month limitation period begins to run only when his or her immediate landlord receives a demand incurring the cost, not when the superior landlord providing the service originally incurs its own cost.’

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Tanfield Chambers, 8th January 2018

Source: www.tanfieldchambers.co.uk