An application may be made for the appointment of a manager of leasehold housing under the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 (“2002 Act”).
Section 80 of the 2002 Act prescribes that the claim notice:
– must specify a date, at least one month after “the relevant date”, by which each person who was given the notice under section 79(6) may respond to it by giving a counter-notice under section 84 (Section 80(6)) and
– must specify a date, at least three months after that specified as above, on which the Right To Manage company (“RTM company”) intends to acquire the right to manage the premises (Section 80(7)).
In the Upper Tribunal Lands Chamber) case of Windermere Court Kenley RTM Company Ltd v Sinclair Gardens Investments (Kensington) Ltd [2014] “the relevant date” was the 29th August 2013, when the claim notice was given, and the 30th September 2013 was the date specified under section 80(6) and the 31st December 2013 was the date specified under section 80(7).
Issue: whether a specified date of 31st December 2013 satisfied the requirements of section 80(7) or whether the earliest date it could have been was 1st January 2014.
The Tribunal said:
– The corresponding date in the following month or months was to be used as the date of calculation particularly where, as here, there was one.
– The application of the corresponding date rule in this case required that the start time specified for the RTM company must be a date ‘after’ midnight on 30th-31st December 2013.
– The start-time the claim notice specified for the RTM company was 31st December 2013.
– 31st December was the day ‘after’ midnight on 30th-31st.
Accordingly specifying 31st December 2013 as being the first day three months “after” the 30th September 2013 satisfied the requirements of section 80(7). So the claim notice complied with the provisions of section 80 of the 2002 Act.
This blog has been posted out of general interest. It does not replace the need to get bespoke legal advice in individual cases.
Original article: Housing: Corresponding date rule validated Right to Manage Claim Notice.