Rent and service charges

Guest room / communal council tax

This relates to costs for council tax for the communal areas. It can also include council tax for estate offices used to provide services to you.

Heating and power

This includes utility charges (gas and electric) for the communal areas of your estate i.e. stairwells, kitchens and car parks. It can also include associated health and safety related charges such as fixed wire and PAT testing.

Caretaker / handyman services

This is the cost associated with caretaker/handyman services that are utilised for the upkeep of the communal areas of your estate.

Enhanced housing management service costs

Enhanced Management costs relate to the provision of additional services which largely relate to support. This could include direct staff that are utilised at your estates and warden call associated costs. Where funding is provided to support such costs this has been deducted to provide you with a reduced cost.

Cleaning

Cleaning is made up of internal cleaning, deep cleaning, window cleaning and any associated materials. This can also include refuse collection costs and bulk rubbish collection. In a limited number of cases, this will also include sanitary bins charges and infection control related costs.

Pest control

This relates to the costs associated with pest prevention measures i.e. the laying and servicing of traps and the costs that relate to the removal of pests such as fumigating premises and pest extermination.

Gardening

This includes costs associated with grounds maintenance, which may also include associated materials charges. This can also include tree lopping costs.

Laundry

This includes washing machine hire costs and the hire of other laundry related equipment. Where the equipment is provided by C&C it includes the servicing, repair and replacement of these machines. It may also include laundry related materials costs.

Television, audio and telephone

This includes TV licencing costs for a communal TV and/or communal aerial servicing and maintenance costs.

Security / CCTV

This is CCTV servicing, repair and replacement costs.

Lift

This is communal passenger lift related costs for the servicing, repair and replacement of lift assets. Additionally, this can include the costs related to stair lifts, hoists etc where these are used for communal purposes.

Door entry and entry phones

This includes costs for the servicing, repair and replacement of communal doors entry systems.

Fire safety and equipment

This includes costs relating to the servicing, repair and replacement of your communal fire safety related assets. This includes fire alarm systems, emergency lighting systems, dry riser and sprinkler systems etc. This category also includes costs for Fire Risk Assessments and any remedial work related to these.

Communal areas furnishing and kitchen equipment

This is costs associated with having a communal kitchen and/or other communal areas that would require communal furniture. The costs relate to the cost of providing these items (and the subsequent repair and/or replacement of these) being recharged over a period of time.

Communal service equipment

This relates to the servicing repair and replacement of communal assets, which are in place to make your living space more comfortable. They include air conditioning systems, communal central heating systems and boilers and air extraction systems.

Home furnishings charges

This includes the servicing, repair and replacements of all other communal assets not included in the previous categories and can include communal garden and bathroom related items. Additionally, it may include costs such as communal floor and lighting replacements.

Communal service management costs at 15% of relevant costs above

This is 15% of the total costs (above), with the exception of personal charges and the Enhanced Management Costs. This charge is included to cover the Central Office’s service charge related administrative costs, which include a proportion of staff costs, equipment and office rental costs. This charge also covers service charge correspondence related costs and any audit and consultancy related expenditure relating to service charges administration.

Service charge cap

The Cap may be utilised in some cases and would differ scheme by scheme. The purpose of the cap would be to reduce the cost recharged to the tenant in order to keep service charge increases reasonable.