SERVICE CHARGE DISPUTE RESOLUTION.

Steve Phillips has successfully acted for both Landlords and Leaseholders in numerous residential service charge dispute cases over the last seven years. A few of Steve’s successful cases are listed below including one of the biggest single wins ever recorded at the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal.

• March 2008– Leasehold Valuation Tribunal– Our client, a leaseholder, had their individual service charge bill for estate refurbishment works reduced from £36,000 down to £24,000.

• January 2008– Negotiation– Our direct negotiation with a London Borough Council resulted in our client’s individual major refurbishment works service charge bill being reduced from approximately £49,000 down to £21,000.

• October 2007– Leasehold Valuation Tribunal– Our clients, a group of leaseholders, had their collective major works service charge bill reduced by £20,000 as their Landlord had failed to correctly serve a section 20B notice.

• June 2007– Mediation– Our client had their day to day service charge bill reduced from £2400 down to £1100.

• April 2007–Negotiation – Our Client had her individual major works service charge bill reduced from approximately £27,000 down to £21,000.

• January 2007–Leasehold Valuation Tribunal– Expert witness services were provided to a Borough wide leaseholders association with respect to their successful case concerning their Landlords non-compliance with the statutory consultation procedures.

• July 2006–Leasehold Valuation Tribunal Mediation Services- Our client, a group of leaseholders, had their service charge bills reduced from a combined total of £110,000 down to £36,000.

• February 2006- Leasehold Valuation Tribunal- We advised our client, a leaseholder, in 2002 with respect to a Partnering contract formed by their Landlord and four years later the Tribunal agreed with our advice and our client’s service charge bill was reduced from £30,000 down to £3,000.

• December 2005.Leasehold Valuation Tribunal- Our Client, a major Registered Social Landlord, received confirmation that they had complied with the new statutory consultation procedure and were able to recover £30,000 in outstanding service charge monies-

• October 2005-Leasehold Valuation Tribunal- Expert Witness Services, (including site inspection, production of a report and provision of evidence before the Tribunal), supplied to our Client, a Borough wide Leaseholder Association, in a dispute with their Landlord, a Local Authority.

• August 2005-Negotiation-Our direct negotiation with a London Borough Council resulted in a service charge bill reduction of, approximately, £85,000 for our Client, a leaseholder group based in West London.

• May 2005-County Court- Our client had her service charge bill reduced down to only £50 when we represented her against her London Borough Council Landlord.

• December 2004-Mediation- Our Client, a group of four Right to Buy Leaseholders had their combined service charge bill reduced from £140,000 down to £64,000.

• September 2004-Leasehold Valuation Tribunal–Our Client, a major Registered Social Landlord, obtained dispensation from compliance with the section 20 consultation requirements thereby allowing them to recover approximately £100,000 in outstanding service charge monies from their lessees.

• March 2004-Waltham Forest Arbitration Tribunal - Mr and Mrs Bakker v London Borough of Waltham Forest. Our Client, Mr and Mrs Bakker had their service charge bill reduced from £30,000 down to £50.

• April 2003-Arbitration - Mrs Charman v Charlton Triangle Homes. Our Client had her service charge bill reduced from £10,000 down to £50.

• August 2002-Southwark Arbitration Tribunal - Mr G Smith v London Borough of Southwark. Our Client, Gerald Smith, had his service charge bill reduced from £16,533 down to £50.

• November 2001-Leasehold Valuation Tribunal - Leaseholders Assoc v London Borough of Hounslow. Our Client, the Association had their total service charge contribution reduced by approximately £650,000.

• June 2001-Croydon County Court and Mediation - Our Client, had their service charge bills reduced by approximately £15,000 and they purchased the Freehold to their block of flats for less than 70% of its real market value.

• December 2000-Southwark Arbitration Tribunal-Mrs M Pacitti v London Borough of Southwark. Our Client, Maria Pacitti, had her service charge reduced from £7,125.00 down to £50.