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Residents are now complaining about loss of privacy Ifyou havea query, emailitto info@flat-living.co.uk All namesand addresses are withheld

CCTV

QUESTION I am a director of a RMCo for a block of 38 flats. We had a spate of security and break-in problems and, after consultation, installed a CCTV system which each resident can monitor from their own flat. The security problems appear to have been solved but a group of residents are now complaining of loss of privacy, fear that their movements and visitors are being watched, and want the individual monitoring facility to be stopped. Others feel much safer in their own homes. What is the Company’s legal position? ANSWER The service chargeable items in most modern leases contain a clause to the effect that additional services can be installed from time to time and it is probably such a clause on which you relied to install this CCTV system at a service charge cost.

Having done so, it is one of the common services and the Company now has an obligation to maintain it just like all the other common services. Before you installed it, the Company carried out the statutory S.20 consultation and it was at that time that those concerned with privacy should have raised their objections. I assume that they did not, probably because, at that time, it did not occur to them that there might be a privacy problem.

However, it is not only burglars who are deterred by CCTV security systems: the risk of immoral or illegal use of flats tends to be eliminated when this sort of security arrangement is installed and unsuitable sub-tenants tend to look elsewhere for accommodation. My point is that CCTV camera

Definition

systems do have much wider effects than just deterring burglars.

The Upper Chamber (the appeal body from the LVT) has made it clear in more than one decision that many management problems have more than one solution which is within the brackets of reasonableness and, merely because one answer is reasonable, does not mean that there is no other reasonable answer.

It was reasonable to have given lessees a monitoring facility and, if lessees had objected at the consultation stage, it would probably have been reasonable not to have given lessees an individual monitoring facility.

EitherEither decidecisionsion could hcould have been reaave been reasonable.sonable. If If the Compathe Company ny now wnow wishes to reverseishes to reverse it its decs decisionision and remove tand remove the he individualindividual mon monitoritorin ing facg facility,ility, somesome lesseeslessees maymay cha challenllenge ge thethe or orig igin inal al cost cost andand subsequent removal costs, effectively seeking repayment.

There is a further risk of those lessees who welcomewelcome thethe additadditionalional securitysecurity possiblypossibly takingtaking legallegal actionaction to to preventprevent anyany removal.removal. LegalLegal actionaction is always expensive and risky. The Directors maymay wishwish to to carefulcarefully ly considerconsider thethe ful full l impactimpact of of thethe CCTVCCTV systemsystem on on thethe block,block, wr writeite outout a a shorshort t reportreport to to al all lesseesl lessees settingsetting out tout the he ex experienceperience of of advantages andadvantages and disadvantages so far, putdisadvantages so far, put the tthe two wo pointspoints of of view, andview, and ask forask for consultationconsultation replies.replies. NotNot on only ly shoushould ld suchsuch an an exerciseexercise assistassist in in establishingestablishing a majority view and strength of feeling, it would also help to stop any risk of spreading misinformisinformationmation andand reducereduce thethe riskrisk of of anybodyanybody instinstructructing lawing lawyersyers and comand commencing speculatmencing speculativeive but potentially expensive litigation. ●

QUESTION Please could you tell me what to underlet a flat means?

ANSWER In most cases, a lease of a flat is held direct from the freeholder who owns the whole building. Some flats are owner-occupied which means that the occupier is the person who owns the lease. Some flats are underlet, which means that the occupier is somebody who pays a rent to the person who owns the lease of the flat. Can I resign?

QUESTION I own a flat in a block of six flats, five own a share of freehold and we have created a Ltd management company that we self-manage. For about 10 years, I have taken the responsibility of the accounts and more recently taken on secretarial and administrative duties with service suppliers. I wondered what choice/position I have to resign from all this. ANSWER Presumably you are unpaid and have no contract, in which case you can resign any time you like. If so, one or more other directors will have to take on those responsibilities or employ a managing agent. For small blocks of this size, there has been a trend for employing outside help with company secretarial and bookkeeping services, keeping other aspects of management in house for the reason that a willing person can often be found for that reduced role.