Service charge
information
Helping you to understand your service charge and what’s included
Headings and their meanings
| Buildings insurance | ||||||||
| What’s included | Description (what this covers) | General needs | Supported housing (specialist) | Supported housing | Leasehold | Shared ownership | ||
| Buildings insurance | The cost of insuring your property and communal areas, it also includes public liability insurance. Please be aware that this does not include the contents of your home as insurance of these is your own responsibility. | X | X | X | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Homeowners’ audit fee | ||||||||
| What’s included | Description (what this covers) | General needs | Supported housing (specialist) | Supported housing | Leasehold | Shared ownership | ||
| Homeowners’ audit fee | Each year a sample of the annual service charge statements are independently audited so that residents know our charges are fair and accurate. | X | X | X | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Grand Union management charge | ||||||||
| What’s included | Description (what this covers) | General needs | Supported housing (specialist) | Supported housing | Leasehold | Shared ownership | ||
| Grand Union management charge | The costs for things like managing contracts for the services that we provide, risk assessments, surveyor visits and calculating and issuing service charge notifications. For our general needs and homeowner customers, this is calculated at 10% of the cost to provide the communal services. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Cleaning | ||||||||
| What’s included | Description (what this covers) | General needs | Supported housing (specialist) | Supported housing | Leasehold | Shared ownership | ||
| Communal cleaning | The costs of the cleaning to communal areas. This may include the cleaning of stairs and floors, sweeping and dusting of indoor areas and the cost of cleaning materials. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Communal area window cleaning | The cost to clean the windows in communal areas only. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Communal utilities | ||||||||
| What’s included | Description (what this covers) | General needs | Supported housing (specialist) | Supported housing | Leasehold | Shared ownership | ||
| Communal gas supply | Costs from utility providers for gas supplied to communal areas. We pay this to them on behalf of customers. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Communal oil supply | Costs from utility providers for oil supplied to communal areas. We pay this to them on behalf of customers. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Communal heating | Costs from utility companies for any heating supply to communal areas. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Communal boiler service and maintenance | Costs for the service and maintenance of communal boilers and work or parts needed to repair them. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Communal electricity | Costs from utility providers for electricity supplies to communal areas. This can include external lighting and lighting in shared car parks as well as the lighting in internal communal areas | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Water softeners | Costs for servicing and maintaining the water softeners to the communal water supply. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Water rates (landlords supply) | Costs from utility providers for water supply to communal areas | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Sewerage/water pump service and maintenance | Costs for servicing and maintaining sewerage plants, sewerage pumping stations, surface water pumps and water and sump pump systems. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Cess pit/ septic tank service and maintenance | Costs for servicing and maintaining cess pits and septic tanks. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Sewerage treatment plants service and maintenance | Costs for servicing and maintaining sewerage plants, sewerage pumping stations, surface water pumps and water and sump pump systems. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Communal water system monitoring | Costs for testing, completing risk assessments and maintaining communal water systems. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Unadopted roads and associated costs | Costs for servicing and maintaining communal roads that have not been adopted by the local authority. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Unadopted drainage and associated costs | Costs for servicing and maintaining of communal drainage that has not been adopted by the local authority. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Pumping station service and maintenance | Costs of servicing and maintaining a pumping station. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Lift emergency telephone | Utility costs for emergency telephone line in lifts. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Telephone in leasehold sheltered schemes | Utility costs for the communal telephone in leasehold sheltered schemes. | X | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | X | ||
| Repairs and maintenance | ||||||||
| What’s included | Description (what this covers) | General needs | Supported housing (specialist) | Supported housing | Leasehold | Shared ownership | ||
| Door entry system service and maintenance | Costs of completing day to day repairs in the communal areas of a property. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| CCTV | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Automatic gates, shutters and bollards | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Automatic doors service and maintenance | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Water drainage and sewer repairs | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Electrical repairs | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Emergency lighting repairs | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Lift repairs | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Automatic door repairs | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| General repairs | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Communal lighting repairs | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Gutter clearance | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Communal area smoke detector repairs | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Lightning conductor repairs | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Communal equipment repair (e.g. car park barrier, intercom) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Renewable energy sources repair and maintenance | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Parking paths and roads repairs | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Communal stairlift service and maintenance | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Rainwater harvesting system servicing | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Specialist equipment repairs | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Communal tv aerial, Digi box, sky box, estate aerials service and maintenance | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Fly tipping and pest control | ||||||||
| What’s included | Description (what this covers) | General needs | Supported housing (specialist) | Supported housing | Leasehold | Shared ownership | ||
| Refuse collection | Contractor costs for removing rubbish and bulk refuse left in the bin store areas and around estates. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Pest control | Contractor costs for pest control in communal areas. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Bulk waste removal and dumped items | Contractor costs for removing rubbish and bulk refuse left in the bin store areas and around estates. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Skip hire | The costs of skip hire for communal areas. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Managing agents | ||||||||
| What’s included | Description (what this covers) | General needs | Supported housing (specialist) | Supported housing | Leasehold | Shared ownership | ||
| External management company costs | Costs to an external managing agent that is carrying estate services on behalf of the freeholder. | X | X | X | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| External management company ground rent | Ground rent payable to an external management company. | X | X | X | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Grounds maintenance | ||||||||
| What’s included | Description (what this covers) | General needs | Supported housing (specialist) | Supported housing | Leasehold | Shared ownership | ||
| Hard and soft landscaping of communal areas | Costs to look after the outside areas of estates and schemes. It also includes tree surveys, pruning and surgery. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Tree work | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Gritting/ salt for paths | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Cyclical health and safety / fire equipment | ||||||||
| What’s included | Description (what this covers) | General needs | Supported housing (specialist) | Supported housing | Leasehold | Shared ownership | ||
| Emergency lighting testing – service and maintenance | The testing, servicing and maintenance of fire systems, emergency lighting and carrying out fire safety inspections. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Fire panel testing, service and maintenance | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Lightning conductor service and maintenance | This covers testing, servicing and maintaining lightning conductors on blocks. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Electrical equipment testing | This covers testing and maintaining electrical installations in communal areas when needed. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Communal area smoke detector testing, servicing and maintenance | The testing, servicing and maintenance of fire systems, emergency lighting and carrying out fire safety inspections. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Fire ventilation system service and maintenance | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Communal fire equipment service and maintenance | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Sprinkler system service and maintenance | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Legionella assessment | Costs to test for and monitor legionella bacteria as well as completing risk assessments and maintaining water systems. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| DE chlorination | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Fire ventilation system repairs | The testing, servicing and maintenance of fire systems, emergency lighting and carrying out fire safety inspections. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Communal fire equipment repairs | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Sprinkler system and misting repairs | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Fire doors, installation, repairs and maintenance | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Fire extinguisher repairs | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Dry riser repairs | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Fire panel repairs | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Dry riser service and maintenance | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Tenancy or leasehold related services or facilities | ||||||||
| What’s included | Description (what this covers) | General needs | Supported housing (specialist) | Supported housing | Leasehold | Shared ownership | ||
| Central controlled alarm monitoring*# | Costs to provide central controlled alarm monitoring in independent living schemes | X | ✓ | ✓ | X | X | ||
| Council tax*# | Council tax where applicable | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Guest room income* | Covers guest room income | X | ✓ | ✓ | X | X | ||
| Guest room expenditure* | Covers guest room expenditure | X | ✓ | ✓ | X | X | ||
| Schemes staff costs | Covers scheme staff salaries. | X | ✓ | ✓ | X | X | ||
| Personal utilities | ||||||||
| What’s included | Description (what this covers) | General needs | Supported housing (specialist) | Supported housing | Leasehold | Shared ownership | ||
| Assisted bathrooms service and maintenance | The servicing and maintenance of assisted bathrooms in sheltered schemes | X | ✓ | ✓ | X | X | ||
| Furniture equipment in independent living schemes | The purchasing and maintaining of furniture in communal areas of independent living schemes. | X | ✓ | ✓ | X | X | ||
| Commercial kitchen equipment service | The servicing and maintenance of commercial kitchen equipment in communal areas. | X | ✓ | ✓ | X | X | ||
| Laundry equipment | The purchasing, servicing and maintenance of communal laundry equipment. | X | ✓ | ✓ | X | X | ||
| Private resident heating costs*# | Utility costs for individual heating. | X | X | X | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Private resident water rates *# | Utility costs for individual water rates. | X | X | X | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Private resident sewage costs*# | Utility costs for individual sewage rates. | X | X | X | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Private electricity costs*# | Utility costs for individual electricity costs. | X | X | X | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Private telephone line costs*# | Utility costs for individual telephone line rates. | X | X | X | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Private broadband resident*# | Utility costs for individual broadband rates. | X | X | X | ✓ | ✓ | ||
Reserve funds
| Heading | What’s included | Description | General needs | Supported housing (specialist) | Supported housing | Leasehold | Shared ownership |
| Lifts | Replacement of communal lifts | Funds collected towards the planned replacement of communal lifts. | X | X | X | ✓ | ✓ |
| Roofs, windows, doors | Replacement of roofs, windows and doors | Funds collected towards the planned replacement of communal roofs windows and doors. | X | X | X | ✓ | ✓ |
| Central heating | Replacement of communal central heating | Funds collected towards the planned replacement of communal central heating systems. | X | X | X | ✓ | ✓ |
| Internal/external redecs | Cyclical internal/ external painting | Funds collected towards the cyclical painting of internal and external communal areas. | X | X | X | ✓ | ✓ |
| Communal flooring replacement | Funds collected towards the replacement of flooring in communal areas. | X | X | X | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Pumping station | Replacement of pumping station | Funds collected towards the replacement of a pumping station. | X | X | X | ✓ | ✓ |
| Equipment (general and specialist) | Replacement of communal appliances e.g. washing machines etc | Funds collected towards the replacement of communal appliances. | X | X | X | X | X |
| Hard wired alarm systems (Independent Living only) | Funds collected towards the replacement of hard wired alarm systems. | X | X | X | X | X | |
| Replacement of communal furniture | Funds collected towards the replacement of communal furniture. | X | X | X | X | X | |
| Replacement of hoists and specialist baths | Funds collected towards the replacement of hoists and specialist baths. | X | X | X | X | X | |
| Parking, paths and roads | Replacement works and materials for parking areas paths and roads | Funds collected towards the replacement of parking areas, paths and roads as well as the cost of materials. | X | X | X | ✓ | ✓ |
* Not eligible for Housing Benefit
# Not eligible for Universal Credit
Eligibility for either Housing Benefit or Universal Credit may vary according to your local authority
