CHI/29UN/LDC/2020/0090 — service charge decision
In CHI/29UN/LDC/2020/0090, decided 7 January 2021, the First-tier Tribunal considered 3 disputed service charge items at 37-39 Gordon Road, Cliftonville, Margate, Kent and reached a mixed result: 3 items were reduced or disallowed. Full decision on GOV.UK below.
Property: 37-39 Gordon Road, Cliftonville, Margate, Kent
Decision date: 7 January 2021
Full decision: Read on GOV.UK
Managing agent named in the decision: Together Property Management.
What was challenged and what the tribunal decided
| Item | Demanded | Allowed | Outcome | Grounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Major works (2020) | £8,186.41 | £7,002.50 | Reduced | Costs unreasonably incurred (s19(1)(a)) |
| Other charges (2020) | £1,183.91 | £0 | Disallowed entirely | Costs unreasonably incurred (s19(1)(a)) |
| Other charges (2020) | — | £0 | Disallowed entirely | Other grounds |
Section 20ZA dispensation: conditional.
Key passages (verbatim)
“The leaseholders' contribution to the works should be limited to £7,002.50. The Applicant is liable for the fees of The Council in the sum of £1,183.91 which cannot be recovered from the leaseholders through the service charge.”
“The Tribunal is satisfied that Veritas did not provide the required level of service which meant that additional costs were incurred by the intervention of The Council. The additional costs were £825 for officer's attendance £351.91 administration fee, and £6 Land Registry fee which totalled £1,183.91.”
“The Applicant should bear the costs of the application to the Tribunal and not recover the costs from the leaseholders through the service charge.”
“The Tribunal is not convinced by the account given by Veritas.”
“the leaseholder had said that "a join in the roof had slipped down", which in the Tribunal's view should have raised questions about the severity of the incident”
“Finally the Tribunal is not impressed with Veritas' reluctance not to release the recordings of the phone calls to the Agent.”
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.