What complaints procedure? Did you contact the Customer Relations Team first, as suggested on the LH website?

What we should all do is ask for a breakdown of the charges on Sept 2008's Actual Charges - request a full itemisation - see Point 9 on the "Summary of tenants' rights and obligations" that accompanied your estimate. They have to reply before the end of April (I think).

In one case on my estate, this enquiry was made and a resident discovered part of her Repairs Charge was for ?429 towards a New Bin Chamber Door on her block of 15 flats. The total cost of the new door (they didn't replace the frame, just the door, and that wasn't really needed) was ?3630.33. Every block was given a new door at that price, but a resident in a similar block also with only 15 flats was only charged ?179.

Her block was also charged for a new roof access door ?2244.66 which also wasn't needed and actually doesn't appear to have been changed at all.

In a report to the Housing Select Committee (8 Oct 08), LH's Chief Executive, Andrew Potter, notes in a list of supposed improvements:
"Increased income by ?1million from appropriate leaseholder charges"...
(This can be found by searching LH's own website - go to the sitemap to dig out otherwise deeply buried documents)...
Of course ?1m is a p*** in the ocean compared to the ?78m they get from rents alone, but it might explain why figures seem to be being plucked from the air when accounts are being done.