What is included?

We are dedicated to offering our customers the best possible service. As a result, some of our properties have associated services that you will benefit from, meaning you’re liable to contribute towards the costs.

We are dedicated to offering our customers the best possible service. As a result, some of our properties have associated services that you will benefit from, meaning you’re liable to contribute towards the costs.

To enable us to charge these contributions back to you, we must ensure that service charges are reasonable and that the services provided are carried out to a reasonable standard – you will only be charged a service charge if your home benefits from the service. If you are required to pay a service charge, your tenancy agreement or lease will summarise this and we will notify you of any changes via the annual cycle, which you can find at the top of this page.

It is important to keep in mind that service charges differ from estate to estate, depending on the specific services we provide there. There may also be properties that pay different amounts withing the same estate due to the individual services provided. For example, a customer living in a house may only pay for grounds maintenance and the upkeep and inspection of a car park, whereas a customer living in a flat may pay for communal services (cleaning, window cleaning, electric supply and upkeep of door entry system) as well as grounds maintenance and the upkeep and inspection of a car park.

You can find more information about all of the service charge headings and what elements they cover here. This page also indicates which tenancy type each of the charges will be recovered by.

When thinking about the elements, some of these items are specific to the location; property, communal area, block or site.

	Property An individual property with a single occupancy agreement (lease, tenancy, freehold).Services include: insurance, management charges
	Communal area A sub-section of a building that is separated either physically or by service from another part of the building.Services include: responsive communal repairs, lift servicing, compliance (e.g. Fire Risk Assessment and Legionella)
	Block A building that contains several homes across which shared services can be collectively charged.Services include: responsive communal repairs, lift servicing, compliance (e.g. Fire Risk Assessment and Legionella) and grounds maintenance
	Sites Multiple blocks in a defined area where shared services are provided to communal spaces.Services include: Ground maintenance, estate lighting, cleaning costs, CCTV