Service charges are your share of the cost of managing, providing services and carrying out repairs to the communal parts of your building or estate.
The properties included within both your building and estate are outlined in colour on the map which accompanies your lease agreement. The blues outline your estate definition and the red line shows your building definition.
Service charges are paid by all leaseholders living in properties that benefit from communal services. Leaseholders pay a proportion of the cost for delivery of these services which can vary from estate to estate but generally include the following:
- insuring the property for full rebuilding costs (building insurance only)
- communal lighting internal and external
- communal repairs
- cleaning of communal areas
- caretaker services /gardening services
- ground rent
- management fees. (The fee covers all costs that are not directly attributable to an individual property, block or estate)
You have the right to challenge the reasonableness of any service charge or of the standard of works or services.
From time to time the council will carry out repairs, improvements or major works to your property, building or estate. As a leaseholder you will be required to pay a proportion of the cost of any work carried out.
Paying your service charge
Your lease will determine the way you are billed for your service charges but in general there are two types of billing.
If you pay annually, you will pay in arrears and will receive your statement and invoice after the end of the financial year, around the end of September. Your invoice will follow separately.
Leaseholders asked to make monthly or quarterly instalments will receive a settlement statement at the same time as other leaseholders, around the end of September.
This statement shows the amount you’ve paid compared with the costs of services we have provided.
If you are having difficulties paying the service charge please contact the home ownership team.
Advice is also available from Citizen’s Advice.
