Sean Crean bemoans the lack of an enforcer for overcharging landlords and their agents. There is one already. It is the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) (Residential Property). It has many jurisdictions – the appointment of a manager, determination of reasonable service charges and administration fees, lease extensions and freehold purchase, to name but a few.
Its website includes past decisions which give guidance on what are reasonable fees and premiums for lease extensions and so on.
The procedure of taking a case is quick and user-friendly. Three months from start to finish on a simple determination based on the papers is not unheard of. Until recently it was also cheap!
Geoffrey Freeman, Consultant, The Dures Partnership, Liverpool
