Leaseholders service charges tribunal

Prior to the eventual negotiated outcome of a tribunal case against a north London borough, there was nothing to prevent me from openly discussing the progress of the trial with my neighbours and other affected leaseholderss, all who knew there was to be a tribunal hearing upon a certain date.

However after the events that took place on the day of the hearing, there is now never to be an official verdict for you all to see as a public document.

But enough leaseholders knew right up to the final day of the hearing, that there had been a reduced "final cost" submitted to the tribunal and the leaseholders of 50% less than a previous estimate that still contained errors it was obviously a FLAWED estimate produced by a flawed computer system. Something that is still being questioned by others that have received the same junk garbage figures from the same managing agents. Also the Audit commission report into this Council, DULY NOTED the wrong input of leaseholder major works and annual service charges into a system that was PRONE TO ERROR with unnecessary input that should be linked and automated. instead of operators having to manually input the same data from one system to another, causing too many mistakes.

The affected leaseholders also knew that on the evening before the day of what was to be a final hearing there was an approach from their barrister to our barrister to avoid them attending court. The other affected leaseholders also knew on the evening prior to and also on the morning of the hearing, before it was known there was to be no official public document decision. That the council withdrew their claim to recover their costs, and both sides were going to reach agreement on a figure. The figure agreed was the same figure we told other leaseholders it would eventually be, because there was at this stage only one compromise split down the middle figure that could be reached.

They are replacing the very good computer system (that's what they kept saying) that is not very old, with a new system costing millions to improve things (that didn't need improving according to their letters of response, the ones that did not end up in the trial bundles as evidence)

This particular council and it's managing agents are still unaware for the time being at least, that over the course of the long tribunal case. There were other overcharged leaseholders and their legal representatives, being kept up to date with the ongoing progress of the ever decreasing figures, that they were reluctantly forced to acknowledge were wrong.

There are at least four more separate tribunal applications from others in the same locality with excessive charges being aggressively pursued by the managing agents against the other leaseholders, using the same erroneous "rubbish in rubbish out, computer generated estimates"

consultation

The current global banking crisis has seen an increasing number of whistle blowers reveal the inside truth of what was really happening behind closed doors. Lets hope and pray that there will be more whistle blowers come forward to reveal the apparent mess in some local authority leasehold departments accounts. 

Whistle blowers please come out, speak now, reveal the true horror of the accounting catastrophes obvious in many of the estimates and figures your over stretched and pressurised departments are producing. I know of one person who has lost their home based upon accounts that were wrong by a factor of more than double the true and accurate cost and all because they believed a tribunal would bring justice and common sense, but the law was proven to be an ass in their case, because the tribunal did not see that the figures were far in excess of the market rates, and the person that lost their home wrongfully did not have the information needed, to emphasis their claim.

Whistle blowers speak out now you have a lot on your conscience, do you want other leaseholders to be made homeless.

Others reading this be warned not to go to a tribunal unprepared do not expect the tribunal to see common sense over the costs that your landlord presents them with, you must challenge them. The tribunal unlike a court will not assist you with your case if they see where you may need help. The tribunal will  not say i think you should do such and such to help your case. Whereas in a court the judge or magistrate is likely to do so when they see you need help to get a fair hearing.

Come on whistle blowers speak now and sleep easy.