CAM/34UE/LVH/2024/0001 & others — service charge decision
In CAM/34UE/LVH/2024/0001 & others, decided 10 April 2025, the First-tier Tribunal considered 24 disputed service charge items at 1-12 Kings Walk, King Street, Kettering NN16 8JF and 1-12 Regent Gate, Regent Street, Kettering NN16 8JD (known as the "Old Bakery") and reached a mixed result: 8 items were reduced or disallowed. Full decision on GOV.UK below.
Property: 1-12 Kings Walk, King Street, Kettering NN16 8JF and 1-12 Regent Gate, Regent Street, Kettering NN16 8JD (known as the "Old Bakery")
Decision date: 10 April 2025
Full decision: Read on GOV.UK
Managing agent named in the decision: John Socha / Orchard Block Management Services Limited.
What was challenged and what the tribunal decided
| Item | Demanded | Allowed | Outcome | Grounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other charges (2019/20) | £400 | £200 | Reduced | Costs unreasonably incurred (s19(1)(a)), Landlord could not evidence the cost |
| Other charges (2020/21) | £396 | £200 | Reduced | Costs unreasonably incurred (s19(1)(a)), Landlord could not evidence the cost |
| Other charges (2021/22) | £400 | £200 | Reduced | Costs unreasonably incurred (s19(1)(a)) |
| Major works (2021/22) | £5,796 | — | Reduced | Costs unreasonably incurred (s19(1)(a)), Other grounds |
| Repairs & maintenance (2021/22) | £156 | £156 | Allowed in full | — |
| Repairs & maintenance (2021/22) | £530 | £530 | Allowed in full | — |
| Repairs & maintenance (2021/22) | £216 | £216 | Allowed in full | — |
| Buildings insurance (2021/22) | £11,837 | £11,837 | Allowed in full | — |
| Buildings insurance (2019/20) | £1,000 | £1,000 | Allowed in full | — |
| Repairs & maintenance (2021/22) | £4,980 | £4,980 | Allowed in full | — |
| Utilities (2021/22) | £2,631 | £2,631 | Allowed in full | — |
| Repairs & maintenance (2021/22) | £2,400 | £2,400 | Allowed in full | — |
| Repairs & maintenance (2021/22) | £60 | £60 | Allowed in full | — |
| Repairs & maintenance (2021/22) | £5,441 | £5,441 | Allowed in full | — |
| Utilities (2021/22) | £8,704 | — | Reduced | No Section 20 consultation, Other grounds |
| Other charges (2022/23) | £400 | £200 | Reduced | Costs unreasonably incurred (s19(1)(a)) |
| Other charges (2022/23) | £528 | £528 | Allowed in full | — |
| Repairs & maintenance (2022/23) | £9,387 | £9,387 | Allowed in full | — |
| Repairs & maintenance (2022/23) | £2,398 | £2,398 | Allowed in full | — |
| Repairs & maintenance (2022/23) | £437 | £437 | Allowed in full | — |
| Other charges (2022/23) | £580 | £0 | Disallowed entirely | Not payable under the lease, Other grounds |
| Repairs & maintenance (2022/23) | £3,455 | £3,455 | Allowed in full | — |
| Repairs & maintenance (2022/23) | £195 | £195 | Allowed in full | — |
| Other charges (2023/24) | £400 | £200 | Reduced | Costs unreasonably incurred (s19(1)(a)) |
Key passages (verbatim)
“bank charges of £200 for the year to March 2020 were reasonably incurred but the rest was not”
“The bank charges for this year were disputed on the same grounds as those in the previous period. For the same reasons, we allow £200 of the £396 recorded in the accounts for this period.”
“the challenged figure of £400 was the estimated cost. The accounts record an actual cost of £200 for bank charges, which is allowed”
“no more than 75% of the installation cost was reasonably incurred without this, but it is fair to give one final opportunity to produce it”
“In general, we consider these costs reasonably incurred.”
“In general, we consider these costs reasonably incurred.”
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.