Confusion over Repairs Caps

A proposed cap on what councils can charge private leaseholders for repair work has been met with confusion and scepticism by legal experts. Eric Pickles said recently he wanted local authorities which receive government funding to help maintain tenants’ homes to charge leaseholders a maximum of £10,000 over five years for repairs, or £15,000 in London. Lawyers were divided on whether the proposals would be costly for council landlords.  Giles Peaker, a partner at Anthony Gold Solicitors, said councils could still use money not provided by the government to pay for communal repair works, which would mean they could charge over the cap. ‘[The proposal] is fairly meaningless,’ he said ‘It only applies where there is government funding related to the works… I think this would be really easy to get around.’ Read more on Inside Housing.