Can you please expand on your rant? What is it that you find controversial in my post?

I'll get the lease and post it. It may take a couple of days. Thanks for your help

Agree. My very good friend is a qualified electrician and does things by the book. He also said that testing appliances in domestic properties is not a legal requirement, however many electricians 'strongly suggest' to LL that this is done as part of cover their backside.

Thanks guys, One thing is not clear to me: If we make a sar to see the detailed accounts under dpa, do they have to comply? How can they charge what they want without proving that they've actually spent the money?

Call patas and tell them that you are waiting for evidence crucial to the case and see what they say. Usually they let you move the hearing. Ask if you can change it to a hearing in person, always better to show up there and explain things properly, so if there's something unclear you can explain it to the adjudicator

Assistant Head of Parking Management and Business processing Manager at the same time... As I thought. Since they've been caught out with that certain Manager signing herself as a camera operator, they now made up some more titles. The result is the same: that manager did not operate the cctv and did not witness the contravention, someone else did. There I say it: is it someone that is not supposed to be employed in uk, from a certain background that seems to be very popular with security jobs? Now, as a matter of urgency ask for certificate of approval of that particular camera and you will start to cramble the sand castle. The more evidence you ask for the more they will contradict themselves and make a mess because they shouldn't issue these pcn. Hounslow is now covered in double yellow lines, yellow boxes, 200ft bus stops and all other sorts of restrictions, all covered by cctv. The profit is gigantic! Don't pay up! Go to the adjudication and ask for costs. They need to be taken down for good. Please post as much documents as possible with personal details blanked and any other identifiers. They haven't got a clue on how to prepare a file, so surely there's a lot of improprieties to point out to the adjudicator. Don't forget to request cctv certificate of approval under fia and start the patas process before the deadline.

You will have to wait the 23rd April then.

Did you put the ticket through the automatic gate or not? If you didn't you can request a printout of the ticket proving that it had not been used the day before, so in other words you were not better off and the toc didn't lose a penny. Also if they refuse to give you a printout, have you got evidence that you stayed in st helen for the night? Hotel receipt, friend's statement, etc. With regards to the swearing, I would write an official complaint to the toc about the inspector and his incorrect account of facts (don't call them lies). The judges usually are inclined to believe all the rubbish they hear from inspectors, even if there's no evidence to support them. A good judge would see through it, but... It wasn't your lucky day, was it?

Ahahahahahahah! What council do you work for? Especially Hounslow council never ever cancel pcn at appeal stage. Just have a wonder on pepipoo and you will see how many drivers have been issued pcn incorrectly and had appeal refused, then won at the adjudication stage. A note for the op: ask Hounslow council for proof that the camera is an approved device. They will send you an internet link which will take you to a confusing page with one approved device listed for Hounslow. That's the approval of their control room; no camera in Hounslow is an approved device! This was the case up to end of 2012 (last ticket I got), they might have had other cameras approved now but I strongly believe not. Also once you take them to the adjudicator, you will receive their evidence in full. check the signatures of the camera operator witness statement and the person rejecting the appeal: they will probably match with different job titles, the former being a camera operator, the latter a traffic enforcement manager. Ever seen a manager working as a camera operator?!?! Adjudicator won't be impressed. Further more, the fact that they haven't given you the opportunity to pay the pcn at the reduced rate after the appeal decision is procedural impropriety. They haven't got a clue! That's Hounslow for you!

Thanks stu007, I try to answer your questions in order: 1. They said that because the admin fee is listed in the lease (It's there, I checked) then it's a contractual fee and must be paid even if it is their error that it was never invoiced. I suppose they are appealing to the fact that debts become statute barred after 6 years (correct me if I'm wrong) and being a contractual fee it would surely be awarded in the county court. 2. We asked for detailed breakdown of all the other charges which are not listed in the lease, so non contractual, but they refused to give them because the accounts are private (?!?!) We wrote to them highlighting that if that was the case they could charge £1000 a month for service charges without anyone being able to challenge them. No answer to this. On that note, if we make a SAR under the DPA, would they be obliged to disclose full accounts including receipts and proof of expenditures? 3. Already asked, they said human error.

Bring your grandmother to the hearing as a witness. Also produce all evidence of her disability, even though the blue badge is confirmation that one cannot walk long distance. Councils are merciless and I've never heard of a ticket being cancelled by them. Good luck

Yes, it's odd. His house is freehold, but there are communal private gardens and parking spaces

Hi Caggers, I have a query on my friend's behalf. He pays service charges related to communal areas around his freehold house to a management company. Recently they have increased the charges by almost 50% without explanation and asked for £500 arrears because they made a mistake not charging an administration fee for the past 6 years. At this point my friend requested evidence of expenditures. They refused to provide them, claiming that the accounts are private (?!?!) They also ignored my friend's request to view the building insurance certificate which costs around £70/year. He showed me a breakdown of the charges they claimed in the past 6 years and I can tell that there is something fishy, i.e. there's a charge for garden maintenance and one for landscaping, one charge named Management charge and one Administration fee (the one they forgot to charge and they want £500 now). It sounds like the same things under a different name to me. He now wants to inspect all accounts for the past 6 years including all supporting evidence to balance the sheets but they are refusing to disclose these and said that he's only entitled to the breakdown of charges, a list with the price next to each line. What can it be done to obtain the accounts? I thought of a SAR, but would the DPA apply to this kind of situation? Second question: the Administration fee they forgot to charge is a contractual fee stated in the lease, so he needs to pay that, but he can't atm. What can he do to pay it in small instalments, possibly £5/week? Thanks for your help and let me know if you need any more info.

In my VWs I use fully synthetic oil, even the 15 year old passat. I would not mix semi and fully synthetic oils, but many people do without much problems. If you really care about your car I recommend you try the Quantum platinum or Quantum longlife III. You will find that the engine runs very quietly and there's no sludge build up. But it's about £30 for 5 litres. In my little polo I use it every other service, alternating it with castrol or halfords fully synthetic.

Large speakers in your garden blasting out bad music at full volume. They might apply to a noise control order or whatever it's called, but it will take time and effort. Just joking , what you could do is ring the council every night on emergency number complaining of swearing and shouting. Keep the ref numbers and be persistent. If you manage to record swearing, call the police and report the asb. If you make enough fuss they will probably attend and stop the games. Players will get fed up and book another pitch. I doubt you will ever see a penny in compensation because of your house loss of value. My friend used to live on the top floor of a 4 storey building with fantastic view. They build a 10 storey 'hotel' just on his border but it never opened. It's now a derelict building blocking the beautiful view. He's still battling to get it demolished almost 20 years on.

If you took a brand new car straight from the dealer to kwik fit they would still try to flog you new brakes and pads Good on VW and Audi (maybe other cars but don't know) for having a brake inspection slot with marks on it so owners can check pads thickness by themselves.

Given all the evidence, especially his own, he cannot win this case. If he did it would be the most unfair win in cc history

If he's a legitimate solicitor there's nothing to worry about. It must be an admin problem. I second Ganymede, in conveyancing same day transfer is used, that's why they charge £25 for it.

Oh dear! Check that the solicitor is a real solicitor first of all. If he is then it should be just a mistake. But both companies not getting the money sounds very fishy to me. I hope you have not been conned by a fake solicitor found on the internet charging peanuts for conveyance.

You don't need to replace the doors. Worst case scenario they can be stripped and repainted properly for about £500/600 per door. Any dents and scratch can be fixed after stripping. In any case they damaged the car and they have to fix it. How much did they offer to write it off?

HCEOs are the way to go. Especially if she's named in the house deeds. Don't give up, these people need to be taken down. Stealing from a child...how wrong is that?!?

I experienced a similar situation a long, long time ago. I was promoted as store manager, sorted out the store and hit all the targets in 12 months. They then started coming after me and I didn't understand the reason at first because our store was performing very well. In the end they forced me to resign because I had left an assistant manager alone in the office for a few minutes with the safe opened (no money was missing but they were monitoring the cctv). The reason they wanted me out was that another more senior manager was in standby because his store had been closed down and they needed a space for him. He couldn't be sent on his way because he'd been in the company 12 years and I was only there for 23 months. He basically harvested my crop. Maybe the same is happening with you. Make sure you don't make any mistake and follow company policies to the letter. This might mean changing some established habits that are accepted at work but do not comply with company policy. I.e. using a pc while someone else is logged in, witness cashing in without actually being there, clock in/out for meal break, leave the store for a few minutes without telling head office, etc. Make yourself very familiar with the latest policies and stick to them. If something has to change with how you deal with your staff as a result of this, just tell them that you all need to follow company policies from now on. Don't give too much details in case the gossip gets to senior management. By following procedures it will be very hard for them to get rid of you. This month training must be justified somehow. Ask in writing more info about it and also ask the direct question: will I be back to my store after the training or you plan to get rid of me? This will probably create a bit of panic because senior management think that we are all stupid monkeys and can't work things out.

Have you checked your car for any damage, even slight? Once a friend of mine left his car parked in london and another car hit his front metal bumper (it's a 4x4). My friend never realised but was then contacted by police two months later with allegations that he had rear ended this car and left the scene. They didn't prosecute eventually because of lack of evidence. The same thing could have happened to you: someone hits your car, the go away, then they realise their car is badly damaged and make false allegations. It is unlikely it will go to court without evidence.

I thought coming to UK and settle here was an implied right of all humans. No, maybe that's just the practical way and in theory your girlfriend needs a visa. :-P

So the claimant must have "fixed" something else and properly screwed it up. If those incorrect bolts and ground nut were already there I would have notified the claimant and replace them, but it's difficult to say now where they've come from.