HAV/43UJ/LSC/2025/0835 — service charge decision
In HAV/43UJ/LSC/2025/0835, decided 28 October 2026, the First-tier Tribunal considered 4 disputed service charge items at 31 Bluebell Rise, Lightwater, Surrey and reached a mixed result: 4 items were reduced or disallowed. Full decision on GOV.UK below.
Property: 31 Bluebell Rise, Lightwater, Surrey
Decision date: 28 October 2026
Full decision: Read on GOV.UK
Managing agent named in the decision: Whitemews Block and Estate Management Ltd / Whitemews Lettings and Property Management Ltd.
What was challenged and what the tribunal decided
| Item | Demanded | Allowed | Outcome | Grounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other charges (2023 (part: 1/1/2023–31/3/2023)) | £218.12 | £159.40 | Reduced | Apportionment error |
| Other charges (2023-24) | — | £699.33 | Reduced | Apportionment error |
| Other charges (2024-25) | — | £699.33 | Reduced | Apportionment error |
| Other charges (2025-26) | — | £914.54 | Reduced | Apportionment error, Demand formally invalid |
Section 20C order: granted.
Key passages (verbatim)
“any amount in excess of 1/30 is unreasonable and not payable by the Applicant as service charge.”
“the management company has demanded in each case a share of the total expenditure at a flat rate of 4.12%, whereas the lease requires at the Fifth Schedule that the share be 1/30 (3.33% approximately)”
“any amount in excess of 1/30 is unreasonable and not payable by the Applicant as service charge.”
“the demand for 2025-26 does not [identify sufficiently Lightwater Grange Management Company (No.2) Ltd]. The apparent invalidity of the demand document does not render unreasonable the service charges due”
“The Applicant reports that this was not done and no such certified accounts appear in the bundle.”
“the consistency of the 4.12% apportionment suggests that no such distinction has been made in the calculation of the service charge demands.”
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.