Leaseholders of Islington ex-local authority properties and our aim is to to ensure that Islington Council, its managing agent(s) and Partners, provide leaseholders with a better service and value for money
One of the groups who regularly attend the ILA meetings, and anticipate challenging their bills at the TRIBUNAL, put together this “to do list” see enclosed…
Its pretty comprehensive and worth reading, whether you are currently/intend to do the same, as/when, the council presents you with a similar demand…
Enjoy…
S20 Notices / Major Works
Action Sheet for Islington Leaseholders
Following the recent Tower Hamlets Court of Appeal ruling, below is a practical action sheet forIslington leaseholders reviewing their own S20 notices.
The Tower Hamlets case does NOT automatically apply to Islington. What it does is reinforce
where leaseholders should look closely: consultation, clarity, and costs.
Each S20 notice still stands or falls on its own facts.
A Court of Appeal recently ruled: A London council is unable to charge leaseholders for repairing historic building safety work.
I have been a leaseholder with London Borough of Islington for over 40 years and have been subjected to unjustified charges for repairs and major works.
The most recent estimate I was upset to receive was a bill of up to £44,00 and had to work with the council to reduce the scope of the works without resorting to legal action. The LBI know leaseholders can rarely afford legal action. This abuse of power puts low-income leaseholders such as I at risk of bankruptcy and homelessness.
LBI in 2024 followed up with another letter for Major Works to take place during 2025 which had previously been undertaken in 2019. With the support of the Islington Leaseholders Association I was able to challenge the Major Works schedule and these works were eventually withdrawn, but only after waiting a agonising eight months for a decision to be made.
I currently exist in a state of financial insecurity, and a constant state of anxiety and worry. I worry for my mental health as I am unable to ever switch off living in a never-ending spiral of fear, fight and eventual flight.
I live in panicked state as to whether I can afford to stay in my home in an area I truly love.
It’s all very well Councillor Una O’Halloran (Daily Telegraph 26/7/25, “Islington plans purchase of 900 former council houses”) boasting about the Council’s scheme to “buy back” former council homes for temporary accommodation. What she fails to say is that these properties are owned by former council tenants — people who paid their rent in full, 125 years in advance, by purchasing their flats.
Now long-standing residents are being pushed aside so the Council can parade its “achievements” as a triumph of social policy. In truth, it’s little more than an act of displacement dressed up as compassion.
When leaseholders challenge the ever-escalating major works bills, the Council falls back on its same hollow excuses — shouted ever louder, as though volume were a substitute for reason. The old adage certainly fits perfectly, “empty barrels make the most noise”.
If this Council genuinely believed in equality, it would use the 11–14% from over-specified, building projects — the very excesses that create these problems — to support leaseholders. Reducing re-chargeable costs or extending payment terms (without the insult of compound interest) would show leadership. Instead, the Council behave like a debt collector.
Few outside this experience grasp the reality of being a council leaseholder : the relentless anxiety, sleepless nights, feeling of being treated as a “cash cow” by the authority that once offered security and community.
At the I L A, we hear this pain month after month. The stories are heartbreaking — ordinary residents bullied, threatened, and financially bled by a Council that seems more interested in retaining control than serving its residents.
If the Council wants to create a “fairer Islington,” it should start by treating its leaseholders with fairness, dignity, and respect — not as collateral damage in a PR campaign.”
After reading Cllr O’Halloran’s statement marking her first year as leader of the council I feel really overlooked and discriminated against, and I know that amongst the borough’s leaseholders I am far from alone in this.
Cllr O’Halloran says in her statement that housing is “a daily issue” for the residents she serves. As someone who has always lived on an Islington council estate I am a champion of social housing and welcome the buyback scheme as a way of increasing council housing stock, but only if the leaseholder genuinely wants to sell and is not being bullied or forced out of their homes by extortionate major works bills. These are sometimes as high as £100,000, amounts no average-waged person or OAP could ever dream of paying without incurring considerable debt.
An Islington Council employee has confirmed to me that most of the homes the council buys back are sold because the leaseholders can’t afford these huge bills.
Leaseholders are among the residents Cllr O’Halloran serves, and the number of them that have to leave the community they have lived in for years is surely a housing issue, yet she shows no empathy, understanding or even awareness of their plight.
She has the power to change policy and give the leaseholder a much longer period to pay the money back interest free, an improvement on the inadequate 5 years that now applies.
Council tenants pay for their share of major works with increased rents, but over a much longer time. Us leaseholders ask for fairness and equality, and a change of council policy to help us sleep at night.
You may have recently seen letters from various Leaseholders in the press…explaining how they are being forced to sell up, due to the outrageous charges levied by Islington Council.
It would appear the council are (probably) trying to force existing leaseholder out of the homes they’ve lived in for many years, (apparently, according to a recent FOI* request) Islington Council are currently under pressure to supply homes for short term accommodation and are “Encouraging” Leaseholders to sell back their homes by issuing outrageous bills, in order to fulfil this obligation, and provide the council with a massive cash windful…to assist repayment of the £85,000,000 dept they have incurred rather than cut back on their idiotic vanity projects…
We will printing some of these Leaseholder letters over the following weeks & months, starting with those below.
Letter 1
BeggarsBelief.
I’ve been a leaseholder in my much-loved home in Islington for over 30 years. Like many leaseholders who are very vociferous regarding Extortionate Bills and Gross overcharging for Cyclic/Major/Services Charges works. I too, was shell shocked, when the council recently issued me with an estimated s20 for fire safety works totalling £31,000, (revised ) to £18,000, after negotiations, assisted by the Islington Leaseholders Association, Which I now attend monthly, and I am deeply grateful for the independent advice and support that it provides me.
These unreasonably, over-specified works, are having a massive impact on my mental health, and consequently, I live in a state of constant anxiety and fear until the post arrives, dreading further demands from a council totally lacking in any form of Transparency/Accountability/Fairness/Quality.
This situation surely begs the question— why are those who pay their way, being deliberately targeted, to the point where they’re being forced to move out of the borough altogether. With many leaseholders now facing bills of between £60,000— £80,000, Where in lies the sense of this short-term gain…it really beggars belief. If high paying leaseholders are forced out—who foots the bill to pay essential financial contributions into the council coffers— Who will fill the black hole due to the years of mismanagement, and irresponsible spending/borrowing, That directly affects all residents?
Sadly, Islington Council has been suffocating under a vast Labour majority since 2010, and it shows—just how badly a borough can fall behind, due primarily, to a total lack of effective OPPOSITION.
There are over 11 thousand leaseholders in Islington,(1/3 of council housing), whose financial contribution is crucial to the future of Islington residents.
Surly WE, the Electorate should have a say on important decisions effecting our daily quality of life.
As I explained previously, Islington Council recently attempted to disband the ILA, by denying us use of a room in the Town Hall, stating that they “no longer recognise the ILA”. However, having solved the problem of a venue, the directors and I decided to advance the ILA’s existence into a far wider electorate, by standing as an independent in the local elections for “Junction Ward”.
Sorry to say, but this time around we didn’t get ELECTED…primarily, due to our combined inexperience and time constraints…But certainly, NOT for lack of trying, or enthusiasm on the part of those who very willingly volunteered their services…A Great big THANKS to all concerned… Nevertheless, due to their efforts, the ILA is now recognised/known by many, many more leaseholders who previously had no idea it existed…!!!
I am extremely happy with the challenge we raised in such a short period of time, and can only say that it was a WONDERFUL learning curve, that our team tested to the utmost, and one which will pay off enormously in all future efforts…(and, we only polled 18 votes behind the Conservative Party Candidate…!!!)
However, “Never say Die”…as the Chairman of the ILA I am proposing to the membership that in future we up our game PLAN exponentially by: –
1/ Possibly fielding candidates in all/any forthcoming Local Elections…In all/any Wards up for re-election…
2/ Promoting an extremely vociferous membership of ILA members, able to show Islington Council and various Government Departments that we demand to be recognised in this Borough. Sadly, although Council leaseholders currently constitute approximately ONE THIRD of all Council properties…we still lack our own “voice” in Islington Town Hall… This situation urgently needs redressing…!!!
3/ Further our Association’s objectives by using our WEBSITE / PRESS to link up with similar Organisations with compatible aim’s and objectives…(there are 4.6 million leaseholders in this country)…
4/ Reserve a LARGER meeting room in which to hold our regular MONTHLY meetings…
5/ Generally work to a loosely, but appropriate, preset agenda…
6/ Regularly Advertise the meetings in the Press / Etc…
7/ Given that we have approximately 11000 Council Leaseholders in the Borough…a vast number of which are still painfully unaware that the ILA exists, it will be be EXTREMELY useful if all of our existing members join in our recruitment drive, and encourage more leaseholders to attend our meetings, and support our objectives…ASAP…
8/ Notably, since the government have recently reduced the discount on RTB properties, the poor old Councils must be completely overwhelmed with tenants attempting to apply prior to the new (much lower) discount effectively coming into force…(which should allow our membership to increase by 000?” Over night…)
Questions: – 1/ What’s this financial windfall to the Council, going to be used for.?…Perhaps, since it’s your cash they are about to inherit, you might like to demand an answer from Cllr O’Halloran, Leader of Islington Council…in person…!!!
It doesn’t surprise me in the least that in this weeks edition of the (Islington Tribune (22/11/24) Cllr Ona O’Halloran immediately admits the fact that both the Housing Ombudsman and The right Honourable Michael Gove recently condemned and Castigated Islington Council, stating they where shocked to find that complaints in Islington were found to be four (4) times higher than anywhere else in the country, In the mouldy and damp ridden homes she preside over …Since she was obviously advised to highlight, and dispose of such a disgraceful record, before demands for her to acknowledge it by Residents, really opened up the “can of worms”…anyone needing a copy can get it free from www.ila.org.uk.
I thought Una’s call for independents to stand down showed her up as authoritarian. Hasn’t it occurred to Cllr O’Halloran that the reason so many independents were standing in Junction ward could be directly attributed to the fact that there is no Democracy in Islington…we are a ONE PARTY BOROUGH, and will remain so as long as tenants are keep in the dark in regard to issues such as : -Their average weekly council rent rise this year of £10…And Leaseholders Cyclic Maintenance bills now increasing exponentially (I saw one for £72,000)…while at the same time our pensioners are choosing to either Freeze or go hungry…
I really do think that it is time Cllr O’Halloran…started to look, listen, and learn…instead of just spouting election rhetoric…
Does she at any point associate her early life problems with those of the poorest residents in this Borough…I think NOT, for should she do so, she would stop banging the drum on the progress of the Labour Party and start to install some democratic processes into Islington…
Recently, she oversaw a Third of this Borough’s tenants openly discriminated against because the council “didn’t like” what they said about Rents and Service charges…and did nothing about it…
For Leaseholders when dealing with Islington Council
Those of you who have regularly attend the Associations monthly meetings over the last 17 years,
ILA meet at St Marys after being excluded from the TownHall
will be aware of the importance of the following list of Do’s & Don’ts in dealing with Housing based problems. (Many of which whilst appearing to be very obvious, need to be repeated continuously to be effective) So for those who do not know, and are new to these meetings…
Please be aware that the ILA Never gives or Offers any form of LEGAL ADVICE, or Recommendation…If you require legal advice we suggest you consult a professional such as, a SOLICITOR, SURVEYOR, BUILDER, LEASE. Etc..
However…
The following list of Do’s and Don’ts are simply observations drawn from 25 years of personal experience whilst dealing with Islington Council, as Chairman of both the ILA & FITA…and as a LEASEHOLDER…!!!
1 / never TALK to the council…Verbal promises, assurances, sympathy, are very easily forgotten, disputed, ambiguous, devious…also, staff leave, Die. Etc…So, PUT IT ALL ON PAPER…Letters, or/and Emails. THEN YOU CAN RELY ON THE CONTENT AND CONTEXT OF THE INFORMATION OBTAINED FROM ANY “CONVERSATION” and insist on acknowledgement to all email traffic. Never send originals bills Etc, always send photocopy’s…
2 / PHOTO’s are invaluable, there is no arguing with photographic evidence. If you haven’t already done so…photograph ALL available parts of your property, in as much detail as possible, ideally showing before and after repairs.Etc. Courts and Tribunals love photos…(I have hundreds of my property, both internal and external, and from a selection of angles)…
3 / When contacting the Council, alway’s start at the VERY top…The ILA can supply a list of all senior Council officers if required. Complaints and answers always reach their logically effective level while traveling Down from the Top…rather than Up from the bottom…
4 / Remember The Council only charge you what they pay out on your behalf, SO they do not charge you…They Re-Charge you…and you are therefore entitled to demand to see ALL the bills that they pay on your behalf…
5 / Do not shout at Council staff…they are usually just doing as they are told, and do so to retain their jobs. If you experience problems, email a senior employee and stress your disappointment with the service..Remember write NOT talk…
6 / Having unsolvable problems with Council Work, Staff, Policy, Including complaints procedure. Next step is an Official Complaint. Make sure you state at the top of your email/letter in large letters…“OFFICIAL STAGE ONE COMPLAINT”
7 / Still unhappy/not satisfied with the Council’s response to your complaint? Contact the HOUSING OMBUDSMAN and escalate your complaint…It cost you NOTHING and usually expedites the councils response to you complaint…
8 / Un-satisfied with the results of your complaint?… a/ Contact the ILA and see if we can assist in solving your problem. b/ Contact the LEASE organisation, this is completely FREE advice supported by government funding… c/ Still unhappy, book a hearing and decision at the First Tier Tribunal, they do charge a small application fee, but you can attend with or without a solicitor or surveyor and simply represent yourself and present information and argument from anyone you please…d/ Lastly you may decide to take the council to Court…However, the main problem here is that the courts do have, and often do award costs…Remember when defending leaseholders challenges at court, the council are using council funds to pay for terribly expensive legal representation, SO THEIR COSTS NEVER SEEM TO BE A PROBLEm, for them…!!!
9 / I have frequently found that highlighting the councils short comings in the local press…WORKS WONDERS. Even better still the National press and magazine coverage tends to provoke an instant action on many subjects, as does a quick statement on one of the news Channels but Massive viral coverage on the WEB is best of all…
10 / The simple secret to solving a housing problem, I have discovered, is to make One Individual totally responsible for the issue. When such a person is selected the problem remains attached to them personally, and in order to be seen to be doing their job property, they process the problem until its resolved to the leaseholders satisfaction…
11 / Another piece of information which is of extreme importance, is that frequently leaseholders emails /letters appear to disappear into the “wide blue yonder”, the way to counteract this effect is to ask questions under the Freedom of Information Act…this will always ensure that your questions are answered…and you can rely on the veracity of the content.
12 / Finally, a real instant money saver…Check your new service charge bill against all previous bills…we have found that the Councils accountancy and billing leaves much to be desired, so check all the “job numbers” for repairs on the bill…as you may have been charged for the same repair repeatedly for any number of years…However, this form of over charging can be re-claimed retrospectively by simply informing the COUNCIL that you have been OVER CHARGED…So…Do this NOW…
As stated this SHORT LIST is simply to assist leaseholders in their dealings with Islington Council, but I am quite sure that it is applicable to most, if not all Councils…
Please stay connected and attend our meetings every month… If you would like to be kept updated on events effecting leaseholders we will need your email address…
REMEMBER…You ARE the Islington Leaseholders Association…One of 11000 Islington leaseholders…!!!
Start a file of Council documents correlated by date. Keep ALL documentation with and from the Council Find and become familiar with your existing lease Obtain a copy of the OLD law on Leasehold Obtain a copy of the NEW Leasehold Law Check your s20’s
Knowledge is Power So defend yourself by acquiring information by attending our meetings.
