Service charges can form part of rent for VAT purposes where transactions “closely linked” – OUT-LAW.com

Posted September 28th, 2012 in news, rent, service charges, VAT by tracey

“Charges for cleaning and maintenance in respect of a commercial property lease may be treated as part of the rental of that property, and therefore exempt from value added tax (VAT), where the two charges are ‘closely linked’, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 27th September 2012

Source: www.out-law.com

Service provider fined £50,000 for misleading consumers over app charges – OUT-LAW.com

Posted September 5th, 2012 in consumer protection, news, service charges, telecommunications, tribunals by sally

“A premium rate service (PRS) provider has been fined £50,000 after the industry’s regulator ruled that it had charged mobile phone users to download a games application without adequate consent to do so.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 4th September 2012

Source: www.out-law.com

Sun, Sea, Sex and Service Charges! – Hardwicke Chambers

Posted July 17th, 2012 in landlord & tenant, news, service charges by sally

“When carrying out major works to residential premises, landlords take the risk that their expenditure will not be recoverable unless they comply with the plethora of statutory regulations which now police the recovery of service charges. Compliance with the consultation requirements should be simply a question of employing a good management agent who is familiar with the statutory framework. If all the hoops contained in the regulations are jumped through there should be no bar to recovery of the sums spent.”

Full story

Hardwicke Chambers, 16th July 2012

Source: www.hardwicke.co.uk

Recent developments in service charges – Tanfield Chambers

Posted August 23rd, 2011 in landlord & tenant, news, service charges by sally

“Two recent cases once again highlight the importance for landlords of making proper and timely demands for service charges from their lessees and the potential for tenants to exploit a landlord`s failure to do so.”

Full story (Word)

Tanfield Chambers, 15th August 2011

Source: www.tanfieldchambers.co.uk

Daejan Investments Ltd v Benson and Others – WLR Daily

Posted February 1st, 2011 in covenants, landlord & tenant, law reports, service charges by sally

Daejan Investments Ltd v Benson and Others [2011] EWCA Civ 38; [2011] WLR (D) 24

“The proper exercise of the discretion in section 20ZA of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 (as inserted) to dispense with the requirement of consultation laid down in the Service Charges (Consultation Requirements) (England) Regulations 2003 did not depend on financial consequences for the landlord or tenant of granting or refusing such a dispensation.”

WLR Daily, 31st January 2011

Source: www.lawreports.co.uk

Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.

Commissioners for Revenue and Customs v Annabel’s (Berkeley Square) Ltd and Others – Times Law Reports

Posted May 13th, 2009 in law reports, remuneration, service charges by sally

Commissioners for Revenue and Customs v Annabel’s (Berkeley Square) Ltd and Others

Court of Appeal

“Restaurant employers were not entitled to use discretionary tips, gratuities and service charges paid by customers to waiters and bar staff by card or cheque made out to the employer and subsequently transmitted to the workers by a tronc system to top up the pay of their employees to the national minimum wage.”

The Times, 13th May 2009

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Revenue and Customs Commissioners v Annabel’s (Berkeley Square) Ltd and others – WLR Daily

Posted May 11th, 2009 in law reports, remuneration, service charges by sally

Revenue and Customs Commissioners v Annabel’s (Berkeley Square) Ltd and others; [2009] WLR (D) 149

Money payments made in the form of discretionary service charges by customers to waiters and bar staff by credit or debit card or by cheque, and collected by the proprietor/employer to be transmitted to employees via a ‘tronc’ system (an arrangement for the pooling and distribution to employees), administered by an employee called ‘troncmaster’, did not count towards an employee’s remuneration within the meaning of reg 30(a) of the National Minimum Wage Regulations 1999, to meet the requirement of s 1 of the National Minimum Wage Act 1998.”

WLR Daily, 8th May 2009

Source: www.lawreports.co.uk 

Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.

Morshead Mansions Ltd v Leon Di Marco – Times Law Reports

Posted February 25th, 2009 in landlord & tenant, law reports, leases, service charges by sally

Morshead Mansions Ltd v Leon Di Marco

Court of Appeal

“Where a tenant was a member of the landlord company, that company could recover an amount passed by resolution of the company under its articles to finance anticipated expenditure to maintain the building, even though such a claim was unenforceable under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 The Court of Appeal (Lord Justice Mummery, Lord Justice Wall and Lord Justice Toulson) so stated on December 10, 2008, allowing the appeal of Morshead Mansions Ltd from the decision of Mr Recorder Mitchell, QC, in Central London County Court, dated January 22, 2008, that a resolution of the company passed pursuant to its articles of association to establish a fund of £400,000 to be designated the 2007 Recovery Fund was not enforceable as a service charge within under section 18 of the 1985 Act.”

The Times, 25th February 2009

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Please note the Times Law Reports are only available free on Times Online for 21 days from the date of publication.

Morshead Mansions Ltd v Di Marco – WLR Daily

Posted December 16th, 2008 in landlord & tenant, law reports, leases, service charges by sally

Morshead Mansions Ltd v Di Marco [2008] EWCA Civ 1371; [2008] WLR (D) 384

There was a distinction between the liability of a tenant to pay a service charge to the landlord under the terms of a lease, which was limited by s 18 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, and the liability of the members of a company landlord, in which all the tenants were shareholders, to the company under separate contracts made in and pursuant to the articles of association, to establish and recover contributions to a recovery fund.”

WLR Daily, 15th December 2008

Source: www.lawreports.co.uk

Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.