Service Charges

A service charge pays for services that you share with your neighbours or are in addition to your rent.

These can include:
Service charges are contributions tenants pay towards the costs of maintaining and providing communal services for the block or estate they live in.
The charges include only the services provided to your property. Your Tenancy Agreement will set out which services you must pay a service charge for.
You normally pay service charges if you live in a flat or a house that has communal areas and/or has annual servicing contracts in place.

Typically service charges might cover:

  • Cleaning communal areas (including Refuse Collection costs)
  • Maintaining and servicing entry phone systems
  • Concierge or Caretaking Services
  • Maintaining communal gardens or shrub areas
  • Communal block repairs and maintenance
  • Electricity in communal hallways, street lighting and external security lighting
  • Sheltered Housing Services
  • Other services like maintaining and servicing lifts, providing TV aerials, CCTV and heating hot water

How service charges are calculated

Every autumn, we review how much money has been spent providing these services and estimates how much will be needed in the next financial year. Those estimates are based on actual costs, inflation and prices from contractors.

For more information please contact us.