Your service charge
What the service charge covers
What it covers
This is the money you pay towards the day-to-day running costs of your block of flats and maisonettes and any major works and improvements which have been carried out. If you live on an estate you will also be required to pay a proportion of estate costs. Your lease sets out your share of the costs for repairs, maintenance and services that we carry out.
Depending on the building, service charges may include the following items:
- caretaking services
- grounds maintenance e.g. grass cutting
- heating, lighting and cleaning of communal areas e.g. stairways
- centrally supplied heating and hot water systems
- communal TV aerial maintenance
- fire safety equipment
- laundry facilities
- door entry systems
- day to day repairs
- lift maintenance
- maintenance of shared gardens
- maintenance of boundary walls and fences
- management charge
- building insurance.
Leaseholders may refer to their estimated and actual service charge statements for an indication of the services their block of flats or property receives.
Service charges will differ from one scheme to another and will depend on the layout of the estate, the type of property you have purchased and the terms of your lease. We are only able to charge for services and for repairs that are identified as our responsibility in the lease.
Leaseholders are not required to contribute towards the cost of services and repairs which are provided solely for the benefit of Council tenants in the building.
Resident Service Officers monitor the services that are provided on your scheme and visit regularly to ensure that the expected level of service is being provided.
How the service charge is worked out
The service charge is calculated so that every leaseholder bears a fair share of the costs of providing each service in their block or property. This share is stated in your lease and cannot be altered.
Your percentage of any block costs is worked out from the floor-space of your property compared to the total floor-space of all the properties that make up the block. This means the larger the flat the more you contribute toward block costs.
If you have any queries regarding your service charges please contact the Rent and Service Charge Team by email: rentandservicechargeteam@kingston.gov.uk or on 020 8547 4781/6508. If you are concerned that you might not be able to pay any of your service charges you must contact the Rent and Service Charge Team immediately.