Reply To: Gaisford Street – Major works charges

#5648
KateB
Participant

    Hi Everyone

    I have a small one bedroom flat in Gaisford Street. I’ve been hit with a major works bill of over £9000. They have just carried out the fire assessment so I have that joy to come.

    In the meantime re the bill I have received it I would make two
    major points at this stage :

    1) There is nowhere near enough transparency in the figures which Camden have provided. It is best practice as a Landlord to supply sufficient details to enable us to be confident that the figures presented to us are correct.

    In some instances they have even referred to charges for other properties together with repairs to the ceiling of the upstairs flat which still in Camden’s ownership so it points to a lack of care and detail in the preparation of these bills and creates mistrust.

    It also seems absurd that they have itemised minutiae to as little as sums of 20p but have then thrown in huge items of generic expenditure such as in their words “decs” totalling several thousands of pounds with no detail whatsoever.

    2) They are misinterpreting the Lease in applying rateable values for major works.

    It is clear from Clauses 4.1 and 4.2 in the Lease that there is a obvious distinction between the annual service charge which should be based on rateable value and building/major works. In the case of those items for which the Landlord’s expenses extend to the Building then it should be a fair and reasonable proportion of the costs attributable to the Premises. The Lease is unequivocal.

    It cannot be fair and reasonable that my small one bed flat contributes almost the same percentage to the major works as a four bedroom flat spanning two floors with an additional large two storey extension, French windows, a metal decking and staircase leading to a large exclusive garden and a large flat roof over the extension. It is simply and wholly inequitable.

    It seems highly suspicious that the remaining flats in our building are still council owned therefore it suits them to apply a percentage proportion (rateable value) of circa 30% of the total bill when I occupy such a small floor area compared with the whole.

    All in all shocking.