Trinity Estates Property Management — tribunal record

“The Tribunal agreed the leak should have been investigated and estimates obtained earlier. The Managing Agent should have corresponded with the Developer whilst concurrently instructing the investigation of the leak and cost of remediation. In the event the M and C Engineering Report was produced on 29 August 2024 and sent to the Developer but the investigation and quotations were not obtained until July 2025 when an Improvement Notice had been served.”

“The Tribunal notes that the Applicant's decision to suspend the consultation process in January 2025 owing to the lack of available funds at that stage is somewhat questionable. It was open to the Applicant to continue with the consultation process even if was for the time being not in a position to proceed with the works. The consultation process could have proceeded at the same time as funds were being raised.”

“The applicants commissioned one quotation only from Walker Miller & Co Ltd. Without alternative quotations, this does give rise to potential prejudice.”

“Zenith appears not to have conducted a proper assessment of the condition of the Heat Pumps until the heating failures started in February 2021. The Tribunal consider this to have been too long an antecedent period without proper maintenance.”

“The Tribunal does not accept that the need to comply with Section 20 consultations is a viable excuse for the delay in this case, since a Section 20 consultation can be concluded in a little over two months if the landlord acts with alacrity, and if the situation is urgent then it is open to the landlord to seek dispensation from the Tribunal (even after carrying out the works, if absolutely necessary). The Respondent has at all material times had the benefit of instructing professional leasehold managing agents who ought to know this. No adequate explanation has been offered as to the reasons for the gaps in time between the various stages of consultation, nor indeed why the repairs are still outstanding.”

“Trinity seem to have managed the Building more competently since April 2022 and have both resolved the original electricity dispute and commissioned the Section 20 process for the works to the Heat Pump(s), although the Section 20 process has taken an inexplicably long time.”