On-Demand Content

On-demand online courses by leading property experts

Service Charges in Property Management

An on-demand series of briefings led by a team of specialist experts:

  • Derek Bruce, Associate Professor, Kingston University
  • Richard Webber, Partner and Head of Property Disputes, RLS Law

Service charge provisions are a common fact of life for landlords and tenants in multi-occupied properties and estates. The changing landscape with better informed and more financially aware tenants, professional regulation, diminishing lease terms which are no longer fully amortising and potential further legislative intervention all make for a more challenging property management landscape for those involved with service charges.

This on-demand series of in-depth briefings appraises both the legal and practical issues commonly encountered in practice. An ideal course designed for property managers, managing agents, residents' companies and lawyers responsible for drafting and negotiating leases.

Including:

  • The law and policy framework
  • Practical interpretation for both commercial and residential real estate
  • Problem solving
  • Contractual processes
  • Lease drafting tips
  • Watch out points and avoiding pitfalls

Pricing and how to register

Fees for the 4-part course: £299 + VAT. Click here to register. 


Sign up for this series and receive the following:

  • Detailed briefings on:
    • Inherent conflicts between landlords and tenants
    • Budgets, auditing, certificates and management costings
    • Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 and Regulations
    • Common shortcomings in leases and the contractual processes
    • Drafting suitable lease provisions
    • RICS Service Charge Codes
  • No important area is overlooked – there is use of a case study throughout to demonstrate the ‘what’ and ‘how’
  • Four 75 minutes detailed sessions

About the series

This on-demand series is expertly crafted to be practical and to update you with the latest law and policy surrounding service charges, both from the perspective of a commercial property venture and also residential property. With the use of a case study, the series tackles the very real problems that arise time and time again in drafting leases and in day-to-day management – and as there are multiple ways to mess-up, this course is designed to ensure that you don’t. The basis of the briefings focus on the following:

One: freeholders (and intermediary landlords for that matter) want to generate income from ownership of their properties, net of the costs of ownership. Two: the costs of ownership and occupation can be substantial. Three: there is no right to recover these costs from occupiers unless there is an agreement obligating occupiers to pay. Four: in multi-occupied buildings it will be necessary to apportion costs between occupiers (and some space may, at any given time be vacant). Five: some substantial cost may occur only infrequently – we must be fair between present and future tenants. Six: owners may not own the property for ever – what should we do about that possibility? Seven: the law is not silent on the rights and duties of landlords and tenants – and there are codes of practice to take into account.

On completion of this course you should know what to do, when, why and how. You will be equipped to avoid the all too many pitfalls waiting for the unwary.


Sessions:

For a full breakdown of each session please click here.

Session 1: The Legal Landscape of Service Charges 
Session 2: Practicalities of Running Service Charge Accounts - Part I
Session 3: Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 ("Section 20") and the Attendant Regulations
Session 4: Practicalities of Running Service Charge Accounts - Part 2