LON/00AG/LSC/2023/0137 — service charge decision
In LON/00AG/LSC/2023/0137, decided 5 October 2023, the First-tier Tribunal considered 4 disputed service charge items at Various Flats, Chichester Court, Royal College Street, London NW1 9LZ and reached a mixed result: 1 item was reduced or disallowed. Full decision on GOV.UK below.
Property: Various Flats, Chichester Court, Royal College Street, London NW1 9LZ
Decision date: 5 October 2023
Full decision: Read on GOV.UK
What was challenged and what the tribunal decided
| Item | Demanded | Allowed | Outcome | Grounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utilities (2022-23) | £16,898.50 | £16,898.50 | Allowed in full | — |
| Utilities (2023-24) | £21,492.43 | £15,000 | Reduced | Costs unreasonably incurred (s19(1)(a)) |
| Cleaning (2020-21) | — | — | Allowed in full | — |
| Cleaning (2023-24) | — | — | Allowed in full | — |
Key passages (verbatim)
“In our judgment £16,898.50 was a reasonable estimate, which the tenants cannot go behind. Accordingly we allow £16,898.50 for communal electricity in 2022-23.”
“In our judgment the £15,000 is a reasonable estimate, given the figures for 2022-23.”
“The Tribunal disallows nothing in respect of the external cleaning for 2020-21 and the internal and external cleaning for 2023-24.”
“The Tribunal disallows nothing in respect of the external cleaning for 2020-21 and the internal and external cleaning for 2023-24.”
“Another oddity of the agreement is that there appears to be no discretion to vary the proportion of the service charge to be paid by individual tenants. Thus someone renting a one-bedroom flat pays the same as someone renting a four-bedroom flat.”
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.