LON/00AY/LSC/2023/0313 — service charge decision
In LON/00AY/LSC/2023/0313, decided 18 April 2024, the First-tier Tribunal considered 24 disputed service charge items at All Units in Yorks House, 5 Coal Lane, London SW9 8GG and reached a mixed result: 9 items were reduced or disallowed. Full decision on GOV.UK below.
Property: All Units in Yorks House, 5 Coal Lane, London SW9 8GG
Decision date: 18 April 2024
Full decision: Read on GOV.UK
Managing agent named in the decision: Gateway Properties Management Limited.
What was challenged and what the tribunal decided
| Item | Demanded | Allowed | Outcome | Grounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleaning (2020-2023) | — | — | Reduced | Poor standard of work |
| Administration charges (2020-2023) | — | — | Disallowed entirely | Other grounds |
| Repairs & maintenance (2020-2023) | — | — | Reduced | Poor standard of work, Works not necessary |
| Utilities (2020-2023) | — | — | Allowed in full | — |
| Utilities (2020-2023) | — | — | Allowed in full | — |
| Other charges (2020-2023) | — | — | Allowed in full | — |
| Repairs & maintenance (2020-2023) | — | — | Reduced | Poor standard of work, Costs unreasonably incurred (s19(1)(a)) |
| Other charges (2020-2023) | — | — | Reduced | Poor standard of work |
| Other charges (2020-2023) | — | — | conceded | — |
| Management fees (2020-2023) | — | — | Reduced | Fee excessive for service delivered |
| Other charges (2020-2023) | — | — | conceded | — |
| Other charges (2020-2023) | — | — | Allowed in full | — |
| Buildings insurance (2020-2023) | — | — | conceded | — |
| Other charges (2020-2023) | — | — | Allowed in full | — |
| Other charges (2020-2023) | — | — | Allowed in full | — |
| Gardening & grounds (2020-2023) | — | — | Reduced | Poor standard of work |
| Cleaning (2020-2023) | — | — | Reduced | Poor standard of work |
| Other charges (2020-2023) | — | — | Allowed in full | — |
| Lifts (2020-2023) | — | — | conceded | — |
| Other charges (2020-2023) | — | — | Allowed in full | — |
| Other charges (2020-2023) | — | — | conceded | — |
| Other charges (2020-2023) | — | — | conceded | — |
| Repairs & maintenance (2020-2023) | — | — | Reduced | Landlord could not evidence the cost, Costs unreasonably incurred (s19(1)(a)) |
| Other charges (2020-2023) | — | — | conceded | — |
Section 20C order: granted.
Key passages (verbatim)
“It is clear that the service is not the best and we make a deduction across all relevant years of 20%.”
“The Applicants Respondents conceded this challenge and the sums are disallowed in full.”
“one of the four gates was not therefore working throughout the period in question. Accordingly, we reduce the gate maintenance charge by 25% for each year in question.”
“This is the cost of the communal water supply. This was not seriously challenged and is allowed in full.”
“The leaseholders wanted to know how the sum was calculated but no serious challenge was brought. The sum is allowed in full.”
“This sum is allowed in full as it was reasonable.”
“The parties prepared a Scott Schedule. For future reference they should include details within the schedule rather than making reference to other documents which made evaluation difficult.”
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.