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Jennie Bunting
Estate Management
Jennie joined The Acorn Group when she was in her 20’s and over the years has gained hands-on experience in both the property and block management sectors, heading up both divisions and as Director of Estate Management for the last 15 years.

Go ahead, ask Jennie anything!

Note: any questions subsequently used on our FAQ page are completely anonymised.

Questions Recently Answered by Jennie

Q.

Why does my neighbour pay a lower service charge?

A.

Your lease should set out how your service charge must be calculated.  It is usually a percentage or a set share of the cost of the repairs, maintenance and insurance of the building.

Q.

Can I stop paying my service charge if I think it’s too much?

A.

It could be risky to withhold payment because this may be a breach of your lease, however if you think certain charges are unreasonable, you should contact your managing agent or landlord to get an explanation of those charges. If you have evidence to challenge the charges, you can make an application to the First Tier Tribunal for a determination.

Q.

My service charge has gone up this year, is this allowed?

A.

Your lease will tell you if your service charge is fixed or variable.  Most service charges are variable in which case your landlord can increase your service charge but it does need to be reasonable.

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Residential Tenants
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Lease Extensions
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Financial Services
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Land & Commercial
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Estate Management
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Residential Landlords
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