LON/00AE/LSC/2022/0332 — service charge decision
In LON/00AE/LSC/2022/0332, decided 12 December 2023, the First-tier Tribunal considered 11 disputed service charge items at 29 Thanet Lodge, 10 Mapesbury Road, London NW2 4JA and reached a mixed result: 6 items were reduced or disallowed. Full decision on GOV.UK below.
Property: 29 Thanet Lodge, 10 Mapesbury Road, London NW2 4JA
Decision date: 12 December 2023
Full decision: Read on GOV.UK
Managing agent named in the decision: HML Property Management Ltd.
What was challenged and what the tribunal decided
| Item | Demanded | Allowed | Outcome | Grounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Major works (2019-20) | — | — | Reduced | Costs unreasonably incurred (s19(1)(a)) |
| Major works (2019-20) | — | £250 | Reduced | No Section 20 consultation |
| Major works (2019-20) | — | £250 | Reduced | No Section 20 consultation |
| Major works (2019-20) | — | — | Allowed in full | — |
| Repairs & maintenance (2019-20) | £5,712 | — | Allowed in full | — |
| Other charges (2020-21) | £12,540 | £0 | Disallowed entirely | Other grounds |
| Repairs & maintenance (2020-21) | £3,904 | — | Allowed in full | — |
| Repairs & maintenance (2020) | £13,284 | £250 | Reduced | No Section 20 consultation |
| Repairs & maintenance (2021) | £4,007 | — | Allowed in full | — |
| Repairs & maintenance (2020-21) | — | — | Allowed in full | — |
| Legal & professional costs (2020-21) | £7,218 | £0 | Disallowed entirely | Not payable under the lease |
Key passages (verbatim)
“There is no evidence that the insurance-backed guarantee was ever obtained and so the relevant costs must be reduced by £1,400 when calculating the resulting service charge.”
“The Respondent conceded that the Applicant's service charge in relation to the roof works should be limited to £250.”
“the Respondent erred in thinking that the consultation requirements were not engaged and conceded that the Applicant's service charge in relation to the external decorations should be limited to £250.”
“Further external decoration work was carried out to the other side of the building at a cost of £3,983.”
“Works to the rainwater pipes were carried out by another contractor, Cascadia, at a cost of £5,712.”
“in accordance with paragraph 2 of Schedule 8, no service charge is payable in respect of them.”
“Their agents, HML, should have been able to provide details but, apparently, decided to ignore the Respondent's reasonable requests to do so.”
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.