CAM/26UG/LSC/2021/0001 — service charge decision
In CAM/26UG/LSC/2021/0001, decided 20 July 2021, the First-tier Tribunal considered 18 disputed service charge items at Flats 24, 62, 104, 107 and 112 Ziggurat House, 25 Grosvenor Road, St Albans, Herts AL1 3UE and reached a mixed result: 8 items were reduced or disallowed. Full decision on GOV.UK below.
Property: Flats 24, 62, 104, 107 and 112 Ziggurat House, 25 Grosvenor Road, St Albans, Herts AL1 3UE
Decision date: 20 July 2021
Full decision: Read on GOV.UK
Managing agent named in the decision: Landside Property Management Limited.
What was challenged and what the tribunal decided
| Item | Demanded | Allowed | Outcome | Grounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legal & professional costs (2018) | £150 | £150 | Allowed in full | — |
| Buildings insurance (2018) | £48,028.78 | £48,028.78 | Allowed in full | — |
| Utilities (2018) | £9,145.88 | — | Disallowed entirely | Landlord could not evidence the cost, Apportionment error |
| Legal & professional costs (2019) | £1,100 | £600 | Reduced | Costs unreasonably incurred (s19(1)(a)) |
| Other charges (2019) | £1,033 | £1,033 | Allowed in full | — |
| Buildings insurance (2019) | £52,262.31 | £52,262.31 | Allowed in full | — |
| Lifts (2019) | £1,118.40 | £1,028.40 | Reduced | Landlord could not evidence the cost |
| Other charges (2019) | £1,509.13 | £0 | Disallowed entirely | Not payable under the lease |
| Cleaning (2019) | £16,272 | £16,272 | Allowed in full | — |
| Utilities (2019) | £12,412 | £12,412 | Allowed in full | — |
| Lifts (2019) | £10,596.84 | £4,026.84 | Reduced | Not payable under the lease, Landlord could not evidence the cost |
| Management fees (2019) | £32,760 | £25,000 | Reduced | Fee excessive for service delivered |
| Repairs & maintenance (2019) | £2,537.08 | £2,537.08 | Allowed in full | — |
| Other charges (2019) | £195.60 | £0 | Disallowed entirely | Not payable under the lease |
| Other charges (2019) | £7,000 | £7,000 | Allowed in full | — |
| Other charges (2019) | £1,270 | £1,270 | Allowed in full | — |
| Other charges (2019) | £690 | £0 | Disallowed entirely | Not payable under the lease, Landlord could not evidence the cost |
| Cleaning (2019) | £3,360 | £3,360 | Allowed in full | — |
Section 20C order: granted.
Key passages (verbatim)
“the accountancy fees of £150 in 2018 were incurred, as shown by an invoice in the bundle (p 98) and are payable.”
“the insurance costs of £48,028.78 in 2018 were incurred, as shown in the invoice in the bundle (p 99), and payable.”
“there is an absence of evidence on the communal electricity charged in 2018 of £9,145.88 … the Tribunal finds that this is not reasonable and payable, but cannot do the apportionment for the lessor.”
“the accountancy fee of £1100 for 2019 was not reasonably incurred for the work done … the sum of £1100 is reduced to £600.”
“the sum of £1033 for bin sanitation in 2019 is reasonable and payable.”
“the insurance costs of £52,262.31 in the year 2019 has been incurred (page 109), and is reasonable and payable.”
“In many respects we found him to be an unsatisfactory witness, unsympathetic to lessees genuine questions and grievances, and defensive; we find this has contributed to a break down in trust, and which has given rise to a greater level of sensitivity and scrutiny by the lessees.”
“The absence of witness statements and the Respondent's clear earlier disclosure on the items in dispute, has lead to prolonging the hearing, the dispute, the number of issues, and costs.”
“the Respondent has brought this application on themselves, and should meet its own costs.”
“There was an arrogance towards invoicing, which meant that there was an acceptance of lazy and opaque invoicing.”
This summary is assembled from the structured record of the published decision; amounts appear only where the tribunal stated them. Always rely on the full decision itself.