Service charges

A service charge is an additional payment to your rent. It pays for shared and communal services and benefits.

Services charges can include:

• Communal lighting
• Communal electricity
• Communal cleaning
• Communal window cleaning
• Door entry systems

We charge you an estimated amount each week for what we think the services will cost. We calculate this by looking at spending in previous years and estimating any increases or decreases for the coming year.

At the end of the year, we compare the actual cost of providing the service with our estimate. If the actual cost was:

• Less than we estimated, we add the difference to next year’s charge
• More than we estimated, we take the difference away from next year’s charge

The charges vary based on your location and the services you receive. They might increase or decrease every year.

Paying for heating

Some of our customers need to pay a heating charge to us. This charge currently applies to residents in sheltered housing schemes.

Communal areas

As a responsible landlord, we need to carry out regular health and safety checks. During these checks, we make sure the communal areas where you live are safe and fire exits are clear.

In recent years, we've worked hard to invest in communal areas. However, their condition and upkeep can vary across the city. They also need regular cleaning and maintenance.

Because of this, we have introduced a monthly caretaking service to cover safety inspections and general cleaning of the blocks.

This service also gives us more information about the blocks, and issues affecting people who live there. This means we can intervene sooner and resolve them.

If you have any questions about service charges, please contact us.