MAINTENANCE
ABOUTHARDFLOORS
Advice THEHARDFACTS
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at home in your block
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Kevinmarshall sounds out the problemof wooden floors in flats
Themuchpublicised courT case of FaidiVs ElliottCorporation, relatingto a dispute between two leaseholders in aBelgravia blockarising fromtheinstallationofawoodenfloor,has caused somealarminourworld. It certainly provokedmuchdebateasthestorybroke. This situationhas beenalongtimecoming.
Formanyyearswoodenfloorshave beenseen as ‘de-rigueur’ in highvalue propertiesandever increasingdemandforradiator- freeunderfloor heating solutions has probably fuelledthis trend evenfurther. ThedecisionhandeddownbyLord Justice
Lloydinthiscasewas that thewoodenfloors needneitherberemoved nor coveredover. In summaryheeffectivelywentontostate that thefloorswere intrinsictotheoperationof theheatingandthedesignoftheflat. In these circumstances, as thewoodenfloorshadthe consentofthefreeholder as part of alicence for alterations, itmight be said that sucha judgementwasinevitable. Ibelieve thereisamuchwider issuehere.
Where does this judgement leavethelandlord in this case?Theclaimagainsttheneighbourhas failedbut it does beg thequestionas towhether the landlordmaynowbe exposedto a claim fromthecomplainantiftheir leasecontainsthe usual landlords covenant to protect thequiet enjoymentofthelessee.Might it be argued that in grantingtheconsent forthefloor,thelandlord failed in this obligation? These are complexissuesandIhavenodesire
to strayinto the domain of the legal profession. Thequestionshouldhowever serve as sobering reading for those of us involved in the leasehold sectorandIsuggest that extremecautionshould apply. Thewordingofthevastmajority of leases
goes somethingalongthelines of……“tokeepall floorsoftheflat, save forkitchensandbathrooms, coveredatall timeswithclose fittingcarpets andgoodqualityunderlay’’.Ihavesaidformany yearsnowthatthefittingofawoodenfloor isnot
technicallytheissue,itistheabsenceofacarpet fittedabove itthat ismorepertinent. Whatweareactuallylookingathere,isthe
landlord being askedtowaive the requirement of this particular clausewhenconsentingto woodenfloorsratherthanitbeingamatterfor consentunder a licence to alter, in the sameway as perhapsmovinga partitionwallwouldbe. Inmost cases thesematters are dealtwith
bywayofinclusioninastandardlicencebutI believe this is fundamentallyflawed.Howmany management companyconstitutions allowfor theboard of directorstopermitsuchdeviations
fromthelease.Inthecontextofthepotentialfor aclaimagainstthelandlord fromadisgruntled
Failingtoprotectquiet enjoymentplacesa
heavyburdenonRMC directors
flatowner, failingto protectquietenjoyment places aheavyburdenonRMCdirectors. Nobodywants to be draconian, particularly in
RMCsituationswhere thedesireistofacilitate lessees’
wisheswheneverpossible.Theusual presumptionis to allowsuchflooringto be laid subject to adequate sounddeadeningmeasures. In all suchcases Iwouldsuggest thatany
consent is grantedbywayof a separate revocable consenttorelaxthefloorcoveringclauseinthe eventofanysustainable complaints ofnuisance. Thiswouldbeentirelyseparatetoanyordinary licencefor
alterations.This isacomplex legal questionandcertainlyonewhere legaladvisors wouldhavetoconsiderthespecifics of each situation.Where Ihave beeninvolved in such matters it seems that the lawyers are in some doubt as tohoweasilyenforced sucha clause wouldbeiftested.Evenso, it seemsfar better
cardoemartin limitedareanindependent privatepracticeofcharteredbuilding surveyorsbasedinnewcavendishStreetW1. thecompanycoversthefullrangeofbuilding surveyingservicesbuthasaparticular specialisminworkingwithblocksofflats dealingwithmajorworkprograms, planned maintenancereportsandindividualdefects investigation.
Formoreinformation, contactkevin marshallbSc(hons)mricS,managing Director on either 02075638900 or
kevin.marshall@
cardoemartin.co.uk
thanto dealwith thesituationasanormal licencematter. Acousticsareanextremelycomplex area,and
simply agreeingtoaschemeonthebasisthatit incorporates alayer ofmaterialwhichcomplies with currentbuildingregulationsstandards fornoise transmittance betweendwellings is
unwise.Soundtransmittancewhichwouldnot occur fromcarpeted floorsmaystill ariseand lead to complaints. If consentistobeconsidered, it is essential
to commissionaspecialist acoustic consultant toensure thedesignisadequateandthat it is properly
installed.Usuallythe consultant conducts tests beforeandafter to certify conformity. Suchanapproachseemstoprovideagood
balancebetweenpleasingflatownersand demonstratingthat the decisionmakers involvedhave acteddiligently to protect the quietenjoyment of
otherresidents.Thecost ofemployingaconsultantwould of course be payable by the applicant in eachcase. Inmyownexperience, thebiggest single
factorwherewooden floorsare concerned is thelevel of considerationgiven by the occupantstotheir neighbours.Ihavebeen innumerous flats with originalwooden floorsandno high specificationunderlay whichhave never givenrise to a complaint. In thesecases thecommonfactor is always that theoccupants take care to placerug runnerswhere theywalk, apply pads to thefeetofchairsandremove shoeswhen returninghomelate.Withoutsuchsimple considerations,eventhemost highly specified modern flooring canbe a source of conflict.●
Flat Living Summer 2012
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