Regular readers of this blog will know that tribunal fees for residential leasehold cases have been looming large for some time.
It is a serious concern which will affect anyone owning a leasehold flat or other leasehold property.
Here’s the story so far…
Back in August 2015 the Ministry of Justice was threatening tribunal fees of £2,400 – an appalling prospect.
Not just because of the cost but also because of the unfair advantage it would give freeholders.
Needless to say, we were swift to go through all the small print in the MoJ consultation and warn of the very worrying potential consequences for leaseholders.
Four months later in November 2015 we wrote how the Association of Lease Enfranchisement Practitioners had also drawn up a list of objections. It was great to be united with ALEP in our thinking.
Now we come to part three of the ‘leasehold tribunal fees trilogy’. Finally they have arrived.
Here’s the so-called good news: the fees are not £2,400. The fee to make an application to the First Tier Tribunal is £100 plus a further £200 when the case is listed for hearing.
We say ‘so-called’ because the whole exercise smacks of a thinly-veiled ploy often used by officialdom: £200 doesn’t sound as bad as the £2,400 first mooted so now we’re all supposed to breathe a collective sigh of relief.
But we’re not. Instead we are disappointed that the price of justice just went up.
And we remain suspicious that these initial fees could be the thin end of the wedge. There was clear reference in the consultation exercise to a scaled fee scheme, based upon the level of the transaction concerned.
Rest assured, we’ll be here to consider any further consultation regarding First Tier Tribunal fees.
Contact Associate Solicitor Nick Leedham, for more information, 01202 355697.
