Brief notes on an assortment of cases. Kensington & Chelsea RLBC v Airbnb Payments Ltd (2022) EWHC 2209 (Ch) - not on Bailii Kensington sought a Norwich Pharmacal order against Airbnb Payments Ltd to require disclosure of whether there were booking for...
Service charges, burden of proof, and costs of proceedings
Assethold Ltd v. Nelio Patricio Teixeira Franco (LANDLORD AND TENANT - SERVICE CHARGES - ADMINISTRATION CHARGES - burden of proof - scope of costs incurred for the purpose of the preparation and service of a notice under section 146 of the Law of Property...
Waking watch costs and flawed reports
Assethold Ltd v Leaseholders Of Corben Mews (LANDLORD AND TENANT - SERVICE CHARGES - whether reasonably incurred - costs of a waking watch) (2022) UKUT 282 (LC) An Upper Tribunal appeal of an FTT decision that the costs of a waking watch were not reasonably...
Clicks, pops and nuisance
Tejani v Fitzroy Place Residential Ltd (2022) EWHC 2760 (TCC) This is another in what appears to be becoming a series (see previous post) of very expensive but failed nuisance claims. I will not go into great detail, but there are two lessons to be drawn....
Once more unto the breach
Dorrington Residential Ltd v 56 Clifton Gardens Ltd (LANDLORD AND TENANT - BREACH OF COVENANT - tenant's covenant to permit landlord to enter and inspect a residential flat) (2022) UKUT 266 (LC) An appeal to the Upper Tribunal of an FTT decision that the...
Not incidental enough
Mayor and Burgesses of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets v Khan (2022) EWCA Civ 831 A Court of Appeal judgment on whether a freeholder, LB Tower Hamlets, was entitled to contractual legal costs under the lease, following a money claim for unpaid service...
Fire Safety updates
A couple of fire safety updates of relevance to leaseholders. The Fire Safety Act 2021 sections 1 and 3 came into force on 12 May 2022. The FSA amended the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 in order to make it clear that the duties under the 2005...
Unravelling – the effect of a debt moratorium on enforcement steps taken during it.
Lees v Kaye (2022) EWHC 1151 (QB) This is another judgment on the operation of the Debt Respite Scheme (Breathing Space Moratorium and Mental Health Crisis Moratorium) (England & Wales) Regulations 2020. (The first was part of the Brake v Axnoller...
Notes and gloats.
It is being reported that reform of the private rented sector, including the abolition of section 21, will be in the next Queen's Speech. It may not be a renters reform bill but part of a larger 'levelling up' bill, which does make one wonder about its...
The wrong order
Behjat v Crescent Trustees Ltd (2022) UKUT 115 (LC) UTLC We've previously seen some messes happen where the First Tier Tribunal judges purport to exercise their jurisdiction as county court judges, for example here. This, unfortunately, is another instance...
Service and admin charges – from the Upper Tribunal
Some brief notes on recent Upper Tribunal (LC) service and administration charge decisions Marshall v Northumberland & Durham Property Trust Ltd (2022) UKUT 92 (LC) The First Tier Tribunal had been wrong to grant dispensation from section 20 consultation...
Delays to services…
Apologies, I know updates have been slow in the last few weeks - I have been very busy on a lot of time sensitive stuff and what down time I've had, has really been needed as, well, down time... But the blog has not been forgotten or abandoned, honest. There...