SERVICE CHARGES

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Some tenancies may involve a charge for services, this is for services in your property that are not covered by your rent.  If you pay a service charge this will be written on your tenancy agreement.

A service charge is what you pay for a service you get. This could be for cleaning and gardening in shared areas, to communal utilities.

A service charge can only be covered by housing benefit if:

• its payment is a condition of occupying the  property, and
• it is not one of the charges that are listed  as ineligible.

Service charges covered by housing benefit are called ‘eligible service charges’ and can include the following:

• Cleaning  and grounds maintenance
• Repairing   and replacing equipment like door entry systems and fire fighting  equipment
• The  cost of shared utilities (such as electricity, gas or water)
• Infestation  treatment
• fuel supplied to communal areas, ie:
  • areas of common access (such as halls and stairwells in a block of flats)
  • common rooms (such as a dining room) in sheltered or supported accommodation. supported accommodation is not defined in the regulations and can include housing schemes for people       with disabilities and older people and supported housing schemes for young people
    
• water charges for communal areas
• charges for certain communal facilities, including: 
  • TV aerial and relay
  • communal laundry facilities.
  • If you live in a sheltered or supported scheme, your service charge may include an amount       to cover staff employed at the scheme, such as support workers, or costs  associated with maintaining communal areas, such as gardens, laundry       rooms and shared lounges.

Ineligible service charges are that relate to a claimant's non-communal daily living expenses are not eligible for housing benefit such as;

• fuel
• water
• meals
• personal  care and support.

The rules for Universal Credit are slightly different to those for Housing Benefit. For example, Universal Credit does not cover the cost of window cleaning for ground floor properties.

Like other housing association your service charges are estimated as it is not possible to know the exact cost of services 12 months in advance.  

We review service charges once a year and residents have the right to see a summary of the costs that make up the bill.