CHI/00MS/LSC/2023/0168 — service charge decision
In CHI/00MS/LSC/2023/0168, decided 14 February 2025, the First-tier Tribunal considered 6 disputed service charge items at 8 Chantry House, Albert Road South, Southampton, Hampshire and reached a mixed result: 6 items were reduced or disallowed. Full decision on GOV.UK below.
Property: 8 Chantry House, Albert Road South, Southampton, Hampshire
Decision date: 14 February 2025
Full decision: Read on GOV.UK
Managing agent named in the decision: Gateway Property Management Limited.
What was challenged and what the tribunal decided
| Item | Demanded | Allowed | Outcome | Grounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Management fees (2020-21) | — | £150 | Reduced | Apportionment error, Landlord could not evidence the cost, Fee excessive for service delivered |
| Management fees (2021-22) | — | £150 | Reduced | Apportionment error, Landlord could not evidence the cost, Fee excessive for service delivered |
| Management fees (2022-23) | — | £150 | Reduced | Apportionment error, Landlord could not evidence the cost, Fee excessive for service delivered |
| Repairs & maintenance (2019-20) | £651 | £0 | Disallowed entirely | Works not necessary, Landlord could not evidence the cost, Other grounds |
| Repairs & maintenance (2021-22) | £1,590 | £360 | Reduced | Works not necessary, Landlord could not evidence the cost, Other grounds |
| Repairs & maintenance (2022-23) | £1,927 | £627 | Reduced | Works not necessary, Landlord could not evidence the cost, Other grounds |
Section 20C order: granted.
Key passages (verbatim)
“the Tribunal determined the payable service charge for the Applicant in respect of management fees to be £150.00 inclusive of VAT per year”
“the Tribunal determined the payable service charge for the Applicant in respect of management fees to be £150.00 inclusive of VAT per year”
“the Tribunal determined the payable service charge for the Applicant in respect of management fees to be £150.00 inclusive of VAT per year”
“the Tribunal was not persuaded by the Respondent that it had met the challenge for any period up to August 2022, except with regard to servicing”
“The Tribunal therefore allowed £360.00 in 2021-2022 and £627.00 in 2022-2023.”
“The Tribunal therefore allowed £360.00 in 2021-2022 and £627.00 in 2022-2023.”
“The Tribunal was very troubled by the fact that the later management fees were shown in the Respondent's statement of case, simply as a single total and the Applicants contribution to those shown as a single percentage of 4.02%.”
“The fact that the only witness evidence on behalf of the Respondent was from someone who did not know how the fees had been set was not helpful and whilst Ms Brown sought to defend the approach, in those circumstances she had little prospect of doing so.”
“The Respondent's contention that it took "swift action" does not fit with those timescales or at least that any initial swift action was effective in achieving swift resolution, much as the Tribunal acknowledges that contractors needed to be approached and matters could not be resolved instantly.”
“It is also, the Tribunal considers, a questionable reason for seeking to charge as service costs the cost of putting right matters which were not maintenance of the gates.”
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.