The Government’s proposed reforms to service charges propose that managing agents publish an administration charge schedule at the start of each year. This would include fees chargeable for permissions or deeds of variation. Currently leaseholders are at the mercy of the managing agent and can be charged anything between £5,000-15,000.
Under the proposals, the cost of a licence to alter should be set out at the beginning of the financial year. It’s not clear whether a schedule should include the cost of adding a loft space to a flat currently not part of the demised premise. But the consultation is a good opportunity to suggest that it could be.