Assure Consulting

HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY CHALLENGE

SERVICE CHARGE & INSURANCE

Assure Consulting

There’s a Beginning, Middle and an End…….

Pre Contract – Before you Sign the Lease

During the Lease Term – Audit, Manage, Control

End of the Term – Be Prepared

BEFORE YOU SIGN UP

• What services will you benefit from?

• What Condition is the Communal Building in?

• What are the projected costs of those services?

• Make sure you get some protection in place

• Educate your deal hungry Acquisitions Surveyor

Assure Consulting

AFTER YOU HAVE SIGNED UP

• Record your key terms – you got the protection make sure you capture it (‘Abstraction’)

• Have robust Systems in Place to verify demands (‘Administration’)

• Regularly review the sums recharged (‘Audit’)

Assure Consulting

AFTER YOU HAVE SIGNED UP…..and you wish you

hadn’t!

* Your Audit findings are not favourable and costs are escalating.

* Make your Representations and Negotiate a resolution….doesn’t work every time

• Explore your Options: Withhold, ADR, Go Legal

• Commercially Viable ? Think ahead, it could be a long and costly process.

Assure Consulting

THE PAIN IS NEARLY OVER

• Lease Expiry means a chance to renegotiate or exit

• Service Charges increase as expiries near – why is that? What can be done?

• Explore your Options: Withholding? (take care on conditional breaks)

• Raft of issues come together

Assure Consulting

TOP TIPS

• Caps & Controls at Start (best £ spent)

• The Triple A approach

• Don’t wait to tackle a problem

• Use Specialists

• Prepare for the End of Term

Assure Consulting

lee.mason@assure-consulting.co.ukDL 01234 817242

Mobile 07580 050052

Assure Consulting