Service charges
Service charges explained
Service charges are for shared facilities in your building/estate such as:
- cleaning
- grounds maintenance
- communal electricity (e.g. for lighting)
- caretaking
- concierge service (if applicable)
- CCTV (if applicable)
All tenancies are subject to a rent charge. Rents are used by landlords to cover the landlord’s costs relating to the property, including the costs of housing management, repairs, maintenance and insurance.
In addition to the rent, some tenancies have a charge for services in connection with the property, not covered by the rent. This is called a service charge. Both leaseholders and tenants pay service charges; tenants pay towards it when they make their rent payments.
Kensington and Chelsea Council charge service charges to recover their costs in providing services to a building. The way service charge is organised is set out in your tenancy agreement.
We calculate service charges separately to rent. They are not affected by the government’s rules on rent.
Fixed service charges
Tenancies used by the council have fixed service charges. This means:
- the charge is set annually, at the same time rents are reviewed
- if the service charges are less than the costs incurred, RBKC will fund the shortfall
- if the service charges are more than the costs incurred, the council will keep any surplus
- we endeavour to set service charges to minimise the level of shortfall or surplus
- the tenancy agreement will set out details of what the council can and cannot charge for and the proportion of the charge that you will have to pay
Service charge descriptions
We detail the service charges in easy to understand categories. These are listed below.
Please note that not all service charges may apply to you. The list of service charges you are being charged for is detailed in your rent increase letter. The list below is only explanation of the charges that may apply to you.
| Building costs | Description |
|---|---|
| Bulk refuse clearance |
Removal costs relating to refuse that has been dumped at or around your building/estate that cannot be traced to any particular individuals. If the council finds out who has dumped bulk rubbish and they are a resident on the block/estate, they will be charged for the full amount for the removal of the fly-tip. The cost of the recharge will include all the costs incurred in removing the items. |
| Caretaking and cleaning |
Share of costs associated with providing a caretaking service which includes monitoring the buildings and estates as part of fire risk assessments and requesting and carrying out any minor repairs such as changing light bulbs, recurring door handles etc. This also includes the cost of supervisors that manage the service. Cleaning is the costs associated with providing regular cleaning to the communal areas of the buildings. This service was previously delivered by OCS but has now been brought inhouse. You may be in receipt of one or both of these services dependant on the nature of your building. |
| CCTV maintenance |
Costs for maintaining and servicing equipment and obtaining CCTV images when required. |
| Common parts electricity |
Costs attributable to the use of electricity for communal lighting, lifts etc. |
| Communal Heating |
Cost of communal heating supplied to the communal area of the building such as the lounge/communal hall. |
| Communal water |
Cost associated with the supply of water in the communal area |
| Concierge |
Provision of a concierge security system. |
| Digital television |
Provision of a digital television service. |
| Estate garden maintenance |
Maintenance of any communal garden areas, such as planting flower beds, pruning trees, soft landscaping, etc. |
| Estate lighting consumption |
Costs attributable to the use of electricity for communal lighting, etc. to the estates. |
| Fire Risk Assessment |
Cost to check the fire doors and carry out fire risk assessment. |
| Heating |
Cost of energy to heat your home. |
| Health and safety: pest control |
Costs associated with the treatment to remove pests or vermin from buildings. Please note that this is not for treatments to individual flats but when the council believes that a block or building treatment is required. |
| Heating and hot water |
There are homes for which energy for heating and hot water is supplied by the council. This cost is shown under “Heating and Hot Water”. |
| Hostel electricity |
Cost of providing electricity to the hostel. |
| Hostel gas |
Cost of providing gas to the hostel. |
| Hot water |
Cost of energy to provide hot water to your home. |
| Paladin cleaning and maintenance |
Cleaning, repair and maintenance of the communal refuse paladins. |
| Porterage and supervision |
Provision of a porterage service. |
| Supporting people |
Provision of staff to support people in the community. |
| Water tanks |
Costs associated with the maintenance of any cold-water storage system your property may be connected to. This can include items such as water quality testing and water regulations compliance checks. |
|
Window cleaning |
Cost associated with the cleaning of the communal glass/windows |
Tenants service charges covered inside rent
There are a number of charges that in general form part of the structure of the building. Any repairs to theses services are not charged to tenants but recovered as part of the rent.
| Building costs | Description |
|---|---|
| Boiler repairs |
Repair of the district heating system. |
| Boiler insurance |
Insurance premiums relating to the heating system. |
| Building insurance |
Share of the insurance premiums relating to your property |
| Common parts electricity repairs |
Repairs to the lighting for communal areas. |
| Estate external siteworks |
Minor repairs carried out to the external areas of your estate that you share with other residents, including boundary walls, fences and footpaths. |
| Lift repair |
Repairs to any lifts in your building. |
| Heating, ventilation and pump systems repairs |
Repairs to the district heating system and/or repairs to the ventilation and pump systems. |