Home > LvT Case Law

LvT Case Law

We provide summaries and analysis of important landmark legal decisions from the LVT, First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) and Higher Courts affecting the residential leasehold property sector. It is a valuable resource for anyone involved in this industry.
>

Search Case Law Listings

Most Recent Cases

Plummer v Royal Herbert Freehold Limited
Other

A freehold owner of a development, which included a leisure centre, was a held to be a “service provider” in respect of its management of the leisure centre for the purposes of the Equality Act 2010. It therefore followed that the reasonable adjustments which were required to facilitate a disabled lessee’s use of the leisure centre extended to making physical alterations (stair lift, hand rails, shower seat and lino flooring).
Saunderson v Cambridge Park Court Residents Association Limited
Service Charge

The UT held that where a tenant has been paying for the provision of services by the landlord, in circumstances in which the services are not set out in the lease, the tenant will be estopped from denying his liability to pay for them. However, the estoppel comes to an end when the provision of services comes to an end.
Avon Ground Rents Ltd v Child
Costs, Service Charge

The UT comprised of Holgate J and HHJ Hodge QC (also sitting as County Court judges) gave valuable guidance concerning the importance of judges maintaining jurisdictional clarity and seperation when sitting as both FTT judges and County Court judges under the Residential Property Dispute Deployment Pilot.

Trimnell-Richard v Tuffley
Forfeiture, Other

The Upper Tribunal overturned a decision of the FTT that there had been no breach of the tenant’s lease by the making of a new hole in an external wall in order to install a soil pipe.
Allison Charles v The Mayor and Burgesses of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets
Service Charge

The Upper Tribunal considered the scope of the landlord’s disclosure obligations in a low-value claim and an appeal of an order debarring a tenant from taking part in a dispute before the FTT.

Portman Estate Nominees (One) Ltd & Portman Estate Nominees (Two) Ltd – v – Nigel Dare Jamieson & Linda Clare Jamieson
Enfranchisement

Substantial works of demolition and redevelopment to a building, which at the time may not constitute a “house” within the definition under the LRA 1967 are nonetheless capable of comprising improvements to be disregarded when determining the price a tenant should pay to enfranchise a house, as long as they were carried out by the tenant (or a predecessor) at their expense.
Urban Splash Work Ltd – v – Ridgway and Cunningham
Service Charge

Where the tenant had paid service charges on account in the course of the service charge year, the landlord could not recover a deficit due after the year end in the absence of an accountant’s certificate complying with the terms of the lease
St Emmanuel House (Freehold) Limited v. Berkeley Seventy-Six Limited
Enfranchisement

A decision concerning the premium payable for each of three blocks of flats in Eastbourne upon three collective enfranchisement claims and, in particular, the appropriate rate at which to capitalize the ground rent income.
E&J Ground Rents NO. 11 LLP v Various Leaseholders
Other, Service Charge

Costs of over £97,000 had been incurred, and were continuing, in mounting a fire safety “waking watch”. This had been implemented following investigation of the external cladding of the building in the wake of the Grenfell Tower disaster. Such costs were payable by leaseholders under the terms of commonplace covenants and were reasonably incurred and reasonable in amount.
Mundy v Trustees of the Sloane Stanley Estate
Enfranchisement, Lease Extension

The Court of appeal emphatically upheld the Upper Tribunal guidance on the correct approach to determining relativity.