Make it possible for tenant/leaseholders to pay disputed service charges to a court. The funds will then only pass to landlords if they can prove the charge's legitimacy within a specified timeframe. Otherwise, the money returns to the tenant/leaseholder.

According to housing campaign group SHAC overcharging for services is common across private, council, and housing association landlords. We believe that the current legal framework disadvantages tenants and residents by requiring them to pay up then seek refunds. This proposal seeks to balance the power between landlord and tenant/leaseholder, allowing for fast, objective, independent adjudication. We think it could end the current flawed system in which landlords, having received payment, have no incentive to engage with those who believe they have been overcharged.