Paying your rent and service charges
If you’re a resident, leaseholder, shared owner or freeholder we may charge you for things like caretaking, door entry phones and services in communal areas. This is known as a service charge.
It doesn’t include services to individual homes, such as heating and hot water or tv licenses. The exact make-up of your service charge depends on the type of home you live in and the type of agreement you have with us.
Service charges pay for things like:
- Repairs and maintenance to the common parts of the building, such as stairwells, staircases, lifts and security systems.
- Cleaning and upkeep of communal areas.
- Payment of utilities for communal areas.
- Ground maintenance in and around your home and estate.
- Buildings insurance.
- The costs of a caretaker (in some areas).
You usually pay the service charge on top of your monthly rent. But for some homes, the service charge may be included in the total rent.
We may also pay some of the money into a reserve fund to help cover the costs of future maintenance work or major repairs. This is a way of spreading the cost and means you won’t get a large bill in one go.
Service charges usually run from April through to the following March.
Service charge frequently asked questions
How much is my service charge?
We calculate your service charge by looking at how much services have cost in previous years and using this to estimate costs for the coming year. Please note, service charges can vary depending on your block, property and rental agreement.
Service charge reviews
We review our tenant service charges at least every three years. We first look at estates with a larger difference between the actual spend and budget and then those with more queries from tenants. You can ask to see a summary of costs that make up the bill.
Querying your rent and service charges
If you have questions about your rent or service charge, please contact us. If we can’t help you, or you’re not satisfied with the response, you can appeal to the Rent Assessment Committee (RAC).
Fixed and variable service charges
Whatever type of service charge you pay, we’ll let you know the cost for the coming year at least one month before any change.
If you pay a variable charge and there’s a shortfall between the estimated charge and the actual costs we incur, we’ll ask you to pay the difference. If the estimate was too high, we’ll credit you with the surplus.
If you pay a fixed charge, you won’t be asked to plug any shortfall or be credited with any surplus.
How we ask for or return the money will depend on your rental agreement.
What if I can’t pay my service charge?
If you’re struggling to pay your service charge, please contact us as soon as possible and we’ll do our best to help. If you’ve suffered a loss of income because of sickness, unemployment or any other change in circumstances, we can also advise you how to claim benefits and deal with any other debts.
It’s important you contact us as soon as you think you may not be able to make your payments. If you don’t, we may have to find other ways of getting the money.
Can I get help to pay my service charge?
If you have a low income or are in receipt of benefits, you may be able to get help with your rent or service charge payments through housing benefit or universal credit. We can provide advice and help with making a claim. To apply yourself, send your housing benefit claim to your local council and Universal Credit claim to the DWP.
What if I own my home?
If you’re a homeowner, find out more about your service charge.
Support finder
Our Support Finder will help you find organisations and resources based on where you live and the type of support you’re looking for.
Cost of living support
Do you need help with rising cost-of-living? There are plenty of ways we can support you.
Talk to us
Our Advice and Wellbeing team are ready to speak to you. You can call them on 020 8832 3133 or request an appointment by completing a form.
We’re here to help
We know that many people are struggling with the increased cost of living. So our advice and wellbeing team are here to help with free and confidential financial support. The team provide advice on benefits and grants, as well as help with budgeting.