CHI/21UF/LSC/2021/0119 — service charge decision
In CHI/21UF/LSC/2021/0119, decided 12 April 2022, the First-tier Tribunal considered 3 disputed service charge items at Villandry, Fort Road, Newhaven, East Sussex and reached a mixed result: 1 item was reduced or disallowed. Full decision on GOV.UK below.
Property: Villandry, Fort Road, Newhaven, East Sussex
Decision date: 12 April 2022
Full decision: Read on GOV.UK
Managing agent named in the decision: Villandry RTM Company Ltd.
What was challenged and what the tribunal decided
| Item | Demanded | Allowed | Outcome | Grounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legal & professional costs (2020) | £3,927 | £0 | Disallowed entirely | Not payable under the lease, Other grounds |
| Legal & professional costs (2020) | £1,653.60 | £1,653.60 | Allowed in full | — |
| Buildings insurance (2020) | £287.67 | £287.67 | Allowed in full | — |
Section 20C order: refused.
Key passages (verbatim)
“with the firm being instructed by Ms Massingham before the Respondent was formed, the Respondent cannot assume the amount of the costs so incurred and charge the amount in the service charge.”
“the work covered by the disputed invoice was indeed an expense incurred within the management of the estate and within the service charge expenditure as defined by the Second Schedule to the Lease.”
“liability insurance is permitted by the Lease both within the insurance covenant in clause 4.7 and as an expense of management of the estate with paragraph 1(2) of the Second Schedule.”
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.