Many of our residents pay a service charge for the maintenance of their neighbourhood. We have two types of service charges:
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a variable service charge
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a fixed service charge.
The way we calculate your charges depends on the type of service charge you pay.
Variable service charges
A variable service charge is where you pay for the actual cost of the services you receive on a yearly basis.
We estimate your service charge based on the costs from the previous year. We factor in any changes to services, contract costs, VAT and inflation or any planned communal work coming up.
At the end of the financial year, we will check the actual service charge spent and compare it with the estimated charges you’ve paid during the year.
You can find more information in our variable service charges explained guide.
Fixed service charges
A fixed service charge is where we calculate what the estimated cost of maintaining your neighbourhood and set the service charge for that area. In the February of each year, we’ll let you know of your service charge costs for the year ahead.
What makes up my service charge?
The costs of the services you receive such as:
- Cleaning/caretaking: Cleaning and maintaining shared areas like halls, stairs, and rubbish chutes.
- Grounds maintenance: Tasks like mowing the grass, weeding and litter picking.
- Door entry systems: Costs for maintaining and repairing the entry phone systems in buildings.
- Management/Admin fee: A flat fee to cover staff costs and overheads for preparing service charge estimates and accounts.
- Lighting: Costs for lighting in shared communal areas, including replacing lightbulbs.
- Water: Water rates for a scheme shared to all customers.
- Lifts: Maintenance and repairs for lifts in the building. This varies depending on the service you receive.
Where can I find more information on the exact charges I pay for?
More information about the exact service charges you pay for can be found in your annual rent and service charge review letter, sent each February.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)