The law requires the landlord to consult the leaseholder for works if these will cost each individual leaseholder more than £250.
If consultation is not undertaken the landlord cannot recover more than £250 from any individual leaseholder towards the cost of the works unless the Tribunal has dispensed with the requirement to consult.
The landlord may be able to send you a bill for the works before they consult and before they do the works. This may be the case if the lease obliges the landlord to demand any service charges in advance or there is a timeframe set out in the lease when the landlord can demand any service charges.
However, even if the landlord can demand the charges in advance, the consultation requirements must be complied with before the works are started unless the landlord has obtained a dispensation from the Tribunal.
You may require the services of a solicitor, a surveyor or a managing agent.
More information you might find useful:
- Application to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber)
- Section 20 Consultation for Private Landlords, Resident Management Companies and their Agents
- Section 20 Consultation for Council and other public sector landlords
- More Frequently Asked Questions on Section 20 Consultation
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