Service Charges in Commercial Property: measuring code compliance

Abstract

Purpose

The paper seeks to measure compliance by owners and their managing agents with the RICS Code of Practice Service Charges in Commercial Property, emphasising the financial reporting to tenants in multi‐let financial services buildings.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were hand collected by examining original source documents provided to commercial leaseholders as part of the service charge management process. This removes bias from relying on secondary respondents to provide data.

Findings

The paper finds that requirements of the Code of Practice are not onerous, and whilst service charge management has improved, the majority of landlords still fail to achieve its requirements.

Research limitations/implications

The sample represents approximately 6.2 per cent of multi‐let office space in England and Wales 1998‐2009. The content analysis method used requires some subjective interpretation by the researchers.

Originality/value

Data are original to this research and the paper offers an analysis on the current standards of accounting practice by service charge managers.

Citation

Eccles, T. and Holt, A. (2012), "Service Charges in Commercial Property: measuring code compliance", Facilities, Vol. 30 No. 11/12, pp. 488-503. https://doi.org/10.1108/02632771211252324