Case Study: The Mess-Up

Our client, a leaseholder in Ladbroke Grove, had been in dispute with his Landlord for many years regarding the service charge. The total demanded was £36,970. We took the issues to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal, and as a result the Landlord agreed the correct sum owed was £14,250, a saving to our residential client of £22,720. The errors made by the Landlord included:

• charging for window replacement works which did not fall under the service charge agreement;
• charging a 10% management fee instead of the 4.5% written in the lease;
• failure to provide written notification within 18 months of spending service charge monies, meaning the Landlord lost their entitlement to sums otherwise due;
• charging as a service charge legal costs incurred trying to enforce payment of demands for incorrect sums.