LON/00AN/LSC/2024/0187 — service charge decision
In LON/00AN/LSC/2024/0187, decided 6 November 2024, the First-tier Tribunal considered 7 disputed service charge items at Earl House, 464 Uxbridge Road, London W12 0NT and reached a mixed result: 3 items were reduced or disallowed. Full decision on GOV.UK below.
Property: Earl House, 464 Uxbridge Road, London W12 0NT
Decision date: 6 November 2024
Full decision: Read on GOV.UK
What was challenged and what the tribunal decided
| Item | Demanded | Allowed | Outcome | Grounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legal & professional costs (2022/2023) | — | — | Allowed in full | — |
| Legal & professional costs (2023/2024) | — | — | Allowed in full | — |
| Administration charges (2022/2023) | — | — | Allowed in full | — |
| Administration charges (2023/2024) | — | — | Allowed in full | — |
| Other charges (2022/2023) | — | £0 | Disallowed entirely | Not payable under the lease, Costs unreasonably incurred (s19(1)(a)) |
| Other charges (2023/2024) | — | £0 | Disallowed entirely | Not payable under the lease, Costs unreasonably incurred (s19(1)(a)) |
| Other charges (2022/2023) | £756.50 | £0 | Disallowed entirely | Costs unreasonably incurred (s19(1)(a)), Estoppel or prior agreement |
Key passages (verbatim)
“the tribunal considers the costs charged are within the range of reasonableness for the services provided by these legal advisors”
“the tribunal considers the costs charged are within the range of reasonableness for the services provided by these legal advisors”
“these costs are part of parcel of the Applicant carrying out its management and running of the building pursuant to clause 6 of the lease and are reasonable and payable by the Respondent”
“these costs are part of parcel of the Applicant carrying out its management and running of the building pursuant to clause 6 of the lease and are reasonable and payable by the Respondent”
“there is no provision in the lease that allows for late payment fees to be charged … the sum of £75.00 per letter is excessive and unreasonable”
“there is no provision in the lease that allows for late payment fees to be charged … the sum of £75.00 per letter is excessive and unreasonable”
“the tribunal has also taken into account the protracted correspondence the Respondent has sent to the Applicant and its solicitors, querying a wide range of matters, the majority of which, do not appear to be in issue in this application, thereby adding to their amount”
“The tribunal was somewhat surprised by the Respondent's apparent lack of willingness to use the Portal, as a means of receiving all of the information she has repeatedly sought from the Applicant. It appeared to the tribunal that the use of the Portal was an easy and effective means of accessing information demanded by the Respondent, who accepted she had the computer skills 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.