Service Charges

What is a service charge?

A service charge is a charge made to a tenant, or leaseholder, which contributes towards the costs of the upkeep of the scheme, road or block where you live. It usually relates to any communal areas which your home either has access to, benefits from its upkeep, or forms part of the wider scheme or estate where you live.

Your service charge is normally paid every month along with any other payments you make to us.

What is included in my service charge?

Below are some of the most common things that may be included in service charges although this will vary depending on where you live.

  • Cleaning communal areas such as shared corridors and stairways.
  • Gardening or grounds maintenance to communal outside areas.
  • Maintenance and servicing of door entry systems, fire alarms, and lifts.
  • Electricity for lighting in communal areas and other electrical services.
  • Minor day to day repairs needed in communal areas or to the main structure of blocks of flats.

How is my service charge set?

We usually set service charges by estimating the total cost of providing services and maintenance for the year. At the end of the year, we check if the amount we spent was more or less than the amount we estimated. If we spent more than the budget, we normally recover the shortfall through your service charge the following year. If we spent less than the budget, we normally credit this amount to the service charge the following year.

Why is my service charge different to what my neighbour pays?

Service charge costs may differ from home to home. Some costs are not applicable if you rent your home and some costs are calculated on the number of bedrooms within your home.

Further information

If you are a leaseholder, further information about your service charge can be found on our dedicated Leaseholder Information page.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss your service charge further, please contact our Specialist Income Management team on 0800 0234 057 or email incomemanagement@seh.southend.gov.uk.