{"id":170490,"date":"2026-02-04T00:29:19","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T17:29:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/property-news\/the-law-on-service-charges-is-grossly-unfair-letters\/"},"modified":"2026-02-04T00:29:26","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T17:29:26","slug":"the-law-on-service-charges-is-grossly-unfair-letters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/property-news\/the-law-on-service-charges-is-grossly-unfair-letters\/","title":{"rendered":"The law on service charges is grossly unfair | Letters"},"content":{"rendered":"


\nLeaseholders have little or no control over service charges \u2013 the system needs urgent attention, writes Chris Wallis.While your editorial on leasehold reform (29 January) is right to say that action on ground rents is long overdue, as is the abolition of leasehold altogether, and that the right to manage is a key part of leaseholders taking control of their buildings, it misses a key point: the law around service charges is archaic and deeply unfair.As it currently stands, unless they manage their buildings themselves, leaseholders have little or no control over what service charges are issued, and while the law says they are entitled to see the accounts, managing agents frequently either fail to supply them or do so in a form that\u00a0does not, quite literally, add up. Forensic\u00a0accountants would have a\u00a0field day. And legally, leaseholders\u00a0are obliged to pay these charges and then challenge them, usually at the first-tier tribunal, where the precedent is that as long\u00a0as the charges are necessary, ie the work is necessary, and reasonable, ie the cost is reasonable, they have to be paid. The reason for the charge arising in\u00a0the first place is irrelevant. Continue reading…
\n
\nSource : theguardian.com
\nRead more…The law on service charges is grossly unfair | Letters<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Leaseholders have little or no control over service charges \u2013 the system needs urgent attention,...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-170490","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-property-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p75ss1-IlQ","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":169870,"url":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/property-news\/rayner-urges-starmer-to-keep-promise-on-leasehold-reform\/","url_meta":{"origin":170490,"position":0},"title":"Rayner urges Starmer to keep promise on leasehold reform","date":"January 20, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"\r Ex-deputy PM says government must stick to plans to cap charges for leaseholders in England and WalesIs this Labour party for rich investors or hard-working leaseholders? We must make that clear todayAngela Rayner has urged Keir Starmer to stick to his campaign pledge to cap ground rents for leaseholders\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Property News"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":69662,"url":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/property-news\/service-charges-government-to-tackle-rip-offs-that-harm-leaseholders\/","url_meta":{"origin":170490,"position":1},"title":"Service charges: government to tackle rip-offs that \u2018harm\u2019 leaseholders","date":"October 21, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"\r Ministers plan crackdown and seek evidence on problems from extortionate costs to unscrupulous agentsRip-off service charges and unfair costs paid by leaseholders and renters were in the government\u2019s sights this week after ministers declared there was \u201coverwhelming evidence of the harm some people experience\u201d.On Wednesday it announced plans for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Property News"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":66286,"url":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/property-news\/now-angry-leaseholders-kick-back-at-the-brokers\/","url_meta":{"origin":170490,"position":2},"title":"Now angry leaseholders kick back at the brokers","date":"March 1, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"\r Flat owners could be paying up to double the best rates for buildings cover, thanks to hidden commission being shared out between brokers and managing agents, reports Jamie ElliottOwners of leasehold flats are paying up to double the market rate for buildings insurance because brokers are paying \"kickbacks\" to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Property News"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":143887,"url":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/property-news\/sadiq-khan-leaseholders-in-england-should-have-the-right-to-withhold-service-charges\/","url_meta":{"origin":170490,"position":3},"title":"Sadiq Khan: leaseholders in England should have the right to withhold service charges","date":"April 27, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"\r London mayor says residents need a law protecting them from unfair and unexplained increases in levies by landlordsLeaseholders hit with large and unjust service charges should have the right to refuse to pay up, Sadiq Khan has said, amid concerns that the government has backed away from its promises\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Property News"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":149800,"url":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/property-news\/a-two-tier-housing-market-will-be-the-result-of-labours-half-baked-leasehold-reform-plans-harry-scoffin\/","url_meta":{"origin":170490,"position":4},"title":"A two-tier housing market will be the result of Labour\u2019s half-baked leasehold reform plans | Harry Scoffin","date":"March 13, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"\r The current system in England and Wales is iniquitous, but the answer isn\u2019t to divide flats into shiny new-builds v leasehold debt trapsThe leasehold system in England and Wales has needed tearing down since the medieval era. It locks homeowners, especially those in flats, into an exploitative, serf-like relationship\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Property News"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":149684,"url":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/property-news\/centuries-old-leasehold-system-to-be-abolished-in-england-and-wales\/","url_meta":{"origin":170490,"position":5},"title":"Centuries-old leasehold system to be abolished in England and Wales","date":"March 3, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"\r Exclusive: Housing minister says overhaul of feudal-era system would take place before end of this parliamentThe housing minister has promised to abolish the centuries-old leasehold system in England and Wales before the end of this parliament, as the government takes the next steps towards an outright ban on new\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Property News"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170490"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=170490"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170490\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":170491,"href":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170490\/revisions\/170491"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=170490"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=170490"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=170490"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}