Vincent Chent-Wei Teo v Rockstead Holding Company Limited

Facts

The appellant, Vincent Chent-Wei Teo, holds a sub-lease dated 25 May 2000 of Flat 1, Rockstead, 18 West Overcliff Drive, Bournemouth, for the remainder of a term of 99 years less three days, having become registered proprietor on 26 September 2002. The building is a Victorian or Edwardian villa converted into flats; a sixth flat in the Coach House has been sold off under a separate title, and the service charge liability was adjusted from a sixth to reflect five flats by a deed of variation dated 11 December 2017 approved in earlier proceedings before the First-tier Tribunal. The respondent, Rockstead Holding Company Limited, claimed unpaid service and other charges in the county court in May 2022. In October 2023 a Deputy District Judge gave judgment for the respondent on all its claims; the appellant's appeal to the Circuit Judge succeeded, and on 19 July 2024 HHJ Mitchell ordered the transfer of the service charge issues to the First-tier Tribunal. By a decision dated 11 July 2025 the First-tier Tribunal upheld the respondent's claim, construing the service charge covenants in the Fifth Schedule of the Lease differently from the way the Lands Chamber had construed materially similar provisions in other leases of the same building in Lardy v Van Gytenbeek. Permission to appeal was granted by Martin Rodger KC, Deputy President, on 3 December 2025.