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Service Charge Disputes: What Can Be Disputed, How, and the Role of the First-Tier Tribunal

Service charges are often the single biggest source of tension between leaseholders and those who manage their building. For leaseholders, it can feel like they’re paying too much for too little. For directors or managing agents, it’s about keeping the block running ...

Read    24/09/2025

Service Charges in New Build Flats vs Older Converted Properties: What Are the Differences?

If you’ve ever compared service charges between different types of flats, you might have noticed something: new build developments usually cost more to run than older converted properties. At first glance, that can feel surprising. You might think: ‘Surely a shiny ne...

Read    24/09/2025

Buying a Flat? How to Understand the Service Charge Accounts and Spot Hidden RIsks

Buying a flat is exciting – but it also means buying into a share of the costs of running the building. That’s where the service charge accounts come in. They tell you whether the block is financially healthy or whether you might face nasty surprises. At first glance...

Read    24/09/2025

Service Charges and Leases: What? When? Year-End Accounts? How to Read a Lease

If you own a flat on a leasehold basis, you’ll know that service charges are part of life. They pay for the running of the building – from insurance and cleaning to repairs and long-term maintenance. But here’s the thing: everything about service charges comes back t...

Read    24/09/2025

Why Standing Orders Don't Really Work for Service Charges

If you’re a leaseholder, paying the service charge by standing order might sound like a good idea. Set it up once, let it tick along each month, and forget about it. Easy, right? Not quite.For management companies (ManCos) and Right to Manage (RTM) directors, standin...

Read    24/09/2025

Service Charges and Paying by Instalments: Should a ManCo Allow Monthly Payments?

If you live in a block of flats, you’ll know that service charges are one of the biggest costs leaseholders face. For many people, paying a large bill in one go can feel daunting, especially with rising costs everywhere. It’s no surprise that leaseholders often ask i...

Read    24/09/2025

Service Charge and Buildings Insurance: The Risk of Under-Insurance and Claims Averaging

When you live in a block of flats, buildings insurance is one of the biggest costs covered by the service charge. It’s there to protect the block if something goes badly wrong – a fire, a flood, or major structural damage. But here’s the catch: if the building is und...

Read    24/09/2025

Service Charges and the PPM (Planned Preventative Maintenance) Diary Are Inextricably Linked - Here's Why

If you live in a block of flats or help run one as a director, you’ll know that service charges often feel like a never-ending balancing act. One of the best tools to keep things under control is to put together and track a PPM (Planned Preventative Maintenance) diar...

Read    24/09/2025

Help for ManCo Directors in Setting the Service Charge Budget: What You Need to Know

If you’re a director of a Residents’ Management Company (ManCo), one of your biggest jobs each year is setting the service charge that you want to collect, AKA the service charge budget. It might sound straightforward – add up the bills and divide them between the fl...

Read    24/09/2025

Service Charge Arrears: : Forfeiture or County Court Judgement? What's the bet route for a Residents' ManCo?

Service charge arrears are one of the biggest headaches for directors of a Residents’ Management Company (ManCo). Without 100% of the service charges being collected, the block will simply not have sufficient cash in the bank to function – insurance, cleaning, and re...

Read    24/09/2025

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