LON/00AH/LSC/2025/0786 — service charge decision
In LON/00AH/LSC/2025/0786, decided 17 October 2025, the First-tier Tribunal considered 47 disputed service charge items at Flat 2, Mistral Court, 62 Leslie Park Road, Croydon and reached a mixed result: 15 items were reduced or disallowed. Full decision on GOV.UK below.
Property: Flat 2, Mistral Court, 62 Leslie Park Road, Croydon
Decision date: 17 October 2025
Full decision: Read on GOV.UK
Managing agent named in the decision: SHW.
What was challenged and what the tribunal decided
| Item | Demanded | Allowed | Outcome | Grounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buildings insurance (2017-18) | £1,409.51 | £1,409.51 | Allowed in full | — |
| Cleaning (2017-18) | £808 | £601 | Reduced | Landlord could not evidence the cost |
| Other charges (2017-18) | £364 | £364 | Allowed in full | — |
| Other charges (2017-18) | £467.22 | £467.22 | Allowed in full | — |
| Repairs & maintenance (2017-18) | £988.96 | £988.96 | conceded | — |
| Gardening & grounds (2017-18) | £1,980 | £1,980 | Allowed in full | — |
| Utilities (2017-18) | £244.30 | £244.30 | Allowed in full | — |
| Other charges (2017-18) | £390 | £390 | Allowed in full | — |
| Legal & professional costs (2017-18) | £864 | £768 | Reduced | Other grounds |
| Reserve fund contributions (2017-18) | £3,060.05 | £2,500 | Reduced | Landlord could not evidence the cost |
| Administration charges (2017-18) | £30 | £30 | Allowed in full | — |
| Administration charges (2017-18) | £315.29 | £315.29 | Allowed in full | — |
| Management fees (2017-18) | £1,770 | £1,500 | Reduced | Standard not reasonable (s19(1)(b)), Fee excessive for service delivered |
| Other charges (2018-19) | — | — | Disallowed entirely | — |
| Other charges (2018-19) | £380 | £380 | conceded | — |
| Utilities (2018-19) | £259 | £259 | conceded | — |
| Buildings insurance (2018-19) | £1,481 | £1,481 | conceded | — |
| Repairs & maintenance (2018-19) | £3,246 | £3,246 | conceded | — |
| Buildings insurance (2018-19) | £282 | £282 | conceded | — |
| Legal & professional costs (2018-19) | £768 | £768 | Allowed in full | — |
| Legal & professional costs (2018-19) | £450 | £450 | conceded | — |
| Management fees (2018-19) | £2,230 | £1,500 | Reduced | Standard not reasonable (s19(1)(b)), Fee excessive for service delivered |
| Administration charges (2018-19) | £6 | £6 | conceded | — |
| Reserve fund contributions (2018-19) | £2,500 | £2,500 | conceded | — |
| Cleaning (2018-19) | £828 | £759 | Reduced | Landlord could not evidence the cost |
| Other charges (2019-20) | £380 | £380 | conceded | — |
| Utilities (2019-20) | £394 | £394 | Allowed in full | — |
| Buildings insurance (2019-20) | £1,544 | £1,544 | conceded | — |
| Repairs & maintenance (2019-20) | £2,302 | £2,301.89 | Reduced | Landlord could not evidence the cost |
| Buildings insurance (2019-20) | £1 | £1 | conceded | — |
| Legal & professional costs (2019-20) | £768 | £768 | Allowed in full | — |
| Legal & professional costs (2019-20) | £450 | £450 | conceded | — |
| Management fees (2019-20) | £2,500 | £1,500 | Reduced | Standard not reasonable (s19(1)(b)), Fee excessive for service delivered |
| Reserve fund contributions (2019-20) | £2,500 | £2,500 | conceded | — |
| Cleaning (2019-20) | £1,119 | £0 | Disallowed entirely | Landlord could not evidence the cost, Poor standard of work |
| Legal & professional costs (2020-21) | £768 | £768 | Allowed in full | — |
| Buildings insurance (2020-21) | £151 | £0 | Disallowed entirely | Not payable under the lease |
| Cleaning (2020-21) | £864 | £864 | Allowed in full | — |
| Other charges (2020-21) | £386 | £386 | Allowed in full | — |
| Utilities (2020-21) | £899 | £899 | conceded | — |
| Gardening & grounds (2020-21) | £2,160 | £360 | Reduced | Landlord could not evidence the cost |
| Legal & professional costs (2020-21) | £450 | £450 | conceded | — |
| Management fees (2020-21) | £2,200 | £1,500 | Reduced | Standard not reasonable (s19(1)(b)), Fee excessive for service delivered |
| Buildings insurance (2020-21) | £1,649 | £1,649 | conceded | — |
| Other charges (2020-21) | £380 | £380 | Allowed in full | — |
| Other charges (2021-22) | £2,417.06 | — | Disallowed entirely | Demand formally invalid |
| Other charges (2022-23) | £1,326.41 | £0 | Disallowed entirely | Demand formally invalid |
Key passages (verbatim)
“Tenant had been challenging bills since 2016. £207 challenged. Landlord has not produced the accounts in the bundle. We disallow £207.”
“Tenant concedes £988.96”
“The £96 relates to the S/C year 2016-17 and is not part of the County Court claim. Only £768 is allowed in the current County Court action.”
“Landlord has produced no evidence why the amount was increased to £3,060.05... We accept the tenant's evidence and submissions and allow only £2,500.”
“We find that the standard of the agent's work was poor. In our judgment, £1,500 is an appropriate figure for this year and each subsequent year. The substantial increases in subsequent years are not justified.”
“We disallow the interim sums on the basis (a) that this demand was not made (so was never due) and (b) that the demand has been superseded by the final figures.”
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.