What are service charges?
Service charges are payments you make towards the cost of services and maintenance in your building or neighbourhood. These are separate from your rent and help keep your home and shared spaces safe, clean, and well-maintained.
Your service charge might include things like:
- Cleaning of communal areas
- Lighting in shared hallways and spaces
- Grounds maintenance and gardening
- Fire equipment service and maintenance
- Door entry systems or CCTV
- Block refuse disposal
If you’re a homeowner, then your service charge might include:
- Home insurance
- Major works
- General block repairs
Every building is different, so your service charge will reflect the services provided where you live.
There are some service charges that you can claim housing benefit or universal credit for and some you can’t.
Eligible charges, are services charges you can claim for, and these are usually for services in communal areas, such as communal cleaning and gardening
Ineligible charges are service charges you can’t claim benefits for, and these are usually for services that are of personal use in your home, such as heating, water and electricity.
We estimate your service charges at the start of the year based on estimated costs. At the end of the year, we compare the estimate with the actual costs:
- If we’ve overestimated, we will credit your next estimated service charges by this amount
- If we underestimated, we will add this charge to your next estimated service charges by this amount
Service charges help us keep your home safe and well maintained for everyone. They make sure that shared spaces are looked after and that essential services are delivered consistently.
We’re here to help. If you have any questions about your service charges or want to see a detailed breakdown, please get in touch by completing an online form here.
