Key topic:

service delays

Award:

£200 compensation

Resolved by: proposed decision

The complainant leaseholder said:

that over a long period of time the managing agent provided a poor service
this included slow and inefficient handling when any maintenance was needed, poor workmanship
the contractors consistently overcharged or on the odd occasion, charged twice

they disagree with the leaseholder’s complaint
they were always communicative and cooperative and acted as soon as they were made aware of a problem
any challenges to the reasonableness and suggested duplication of charges should be dealt with by the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber).

Extensive email communication, invoices and witness statements

Several issues raised by the leaseholder were outside our authority to deal with and would be more appropriate for the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber), such as complaints against contractors used by the managing agent or the reasonableness of service charges
Our authority is limited to investigating complaints against Property Redress members which found:
An extensive amount of the email communication provided by the leaseholder had been responded to by the management company in a reasonable time
Some issues could have been resolved more efficiently by the managing agent including:
organising work to be done as promptly as possible
overseeing the maintenance work which took longer than it should have and caused distress and inconvenience to the leaseholder
The distress and inconvenience could have been reduced or avoided by the managing agent and the complainant was awarded £200 compensation.

Agents should always:

act promptly when issues arise, advising their client landlords for authority where needed
employ skilled contractors who are qualified to the do the work needed and make sure the work is carried out to the required standard
keep tenants and landlords fully updated on any work being carried out and likely timelines
let tenants and landlords know if there are likely to be any delays to the work being carried out and the reasons for the delay
While the First Tier Tribunal has the authority to deal with the reasonableness of service charges and other issues outside our authority, we are authorised to investigate and make decisions about the managing agent’s behaviour and conduct. This means a complaint may need to be dealt with by more than one provider.

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