A renowned solicitor advocate is being sued over unpaid service charges at his north London home, where he is embroiled in an ‘acrimonious’ dispute with the landlord.
Robin Makin runs Liverpool Legal Services Ltd and is known for representing Ian Brady, the Moors murderer, among other high-profile clients. He has been taken to court by management company 15 West Heath Road Ltd for £5,061.69 including legal fees.
The Gazette previously revealed how Makin launched and then discontinued a private prosecution of the company at Willesden magistrates court, following which he was ordered to pay £105,000 in costs by a district judge for ‘vexatiousness’. Last month, he failed to overturn the costs order, after appealing to the wrong court.
Court documents show the civil claim was launched against Makin in May last year over his alleged failure to pay demands for Reserve Fund & Service Charge, in breach of his lease.
In December, Makin denied the claim and challenged the reasonableness of the service charge. He alleged the claimant incurred costs of over £85,000 - which he said was ‘borne as part of the service charge’ - by carrying out works on a retaining wall that were necessary so a basement extension could be carried out at a flat owned by Howard Stein, a director of the claimant.
‘It was not reasonable for the costs of the works to the wall, which primarily benefitted [that flat], to be borne by all of the flat owners’, Makin said.
For this reason, Makin alleged in a counter-claim he had overpaid previous service charges and the claimant had been unjustly enriched.
Daniel Jones, for the claimant, denied the allegations and said the sums for that period had been admitted by Makin. ‘There has been no record of any payment under protest despite an acrimonious relationship between the parties’, the barrister added in a reply on 5 January.
Makin also alleges that Stein put a locked metal gate and fence in a passageway through which Makin claims to have an access right, which the claimant denied.
No hearing date has yet been listed, Manchester County Court confirmed.
