Westbrook Dolphin Square Ltd v Friends Provident Life and Pensions Ltd [2011] EWHC 2302 (Ch) This is probably one of the most factually complicated collective enfranchisement cases imaginable. In outline, as you know, qualifying tenants of flats have the...
Forms and formalities
Gateway Property Holdings Ltd v 6-10 Montrose Gardens RTM Co Ltd [2011] UKUT 349 (LC) is a rare creature - a decision of the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) on a Right to Manage issue. It also appears to be the UT(LC) debut for HHJ Walden-Smith. As you'll...
Three for the LVT mavens
I promised to write the second of these case reports a week ago. Mea culpa. Still, by delaying, I've managed to find two other cases to include. So, without further ado... Ayres and others v Roberts and others In All's Well That Ends Well (Act.1, Scene 1),...
Unaccompanied Service Charge demands
Tingdene Holiday Parks Ltd v Cox and others [2011] UKUT 310 (LC) By s.21B, Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, a demand for the payment of service charges must be "accompanied" by a summary of rights and obligations of tenants in relation to the same. The form of...
Genuinely exciting
I've been away at a stag weekend for the last few days. I therefore recognise that it is possible that my sense of what is (and is not) exciting and fun may be slightly warped, as I try to re-adjust to polite society. I was, however, genuinely excited last...
A round-up from the UT(LC)
The Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) has been rather busy recently, handing down four housing-law related decisions in the last fortnight or so. The first three are service charge disputes, whilst the fourth is a lease variation case. In Tunstill v Primrose...
Service charge demands and prescribed information
By s.21B, Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, a demand for the payment of service charges must be accompanied by a summary of rights and obligations, setting out the various rights and options open to leaseholders. In England, that provision has been in force...
Back in the consulting room
R (Peat and others) v Hyndburn DC [2011] EWHC 1739 (Admin) is the first successful challenge to a selective licensing scheme. We've previously covered the permission hearings (here and here). It's quite a fun judgment to read, if only for the absolute...
A sorry tale
Webb and another v Marcos and another CA, July 8, 2011 (lawtel and westlaw notes only) looks like a sad tale, as well as being one of those (hopefully rare) cases where a possession order was enforced by committal. M was the occupier of a property which had...
Service charges and legal costs: a very short point
The Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) has recently handed down two cases on insurance premiums and service charges. I'm not going to deal in any detail with either of them, as both are entirely on their own facts. However, in one case Akorita v Marina Heights...
The degree of formality
... and, no, we're not talking about meeting the in-laws; rather, we've *finally* got a High Court decision on the requirements of s.20B(2), Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. This, in short, requires landlords to either demand service charges within 18 months of...
Service charges and dispensation: an update
I'm led to believe that the landlord in Daejan Investments Ltd v Benson (our post here) has been given permission to appeal to the Supreme Court. Nothing confirmed on the UKSC website yet, but my source is usually quite reliable. I'm going to go out on a...