Please see further information below regarding your service charges based on what we regularly get asked. This applies to homeowners (including leaseholders, shared owners and those who have exercised the Right to Buy)
Service charges are your share of the costs we have incurred by providing services to the block or estate where you live, for example, grounds maintenance, cleaning or repairs in shared areas. The amount of service charges you pay depends on the terms of the lease, but it is important to remember that most leaseholders are on variable service charges.
Service charges differ from block to block and estate to estate, depending on the services we provide. Please look at your personalised service charge statement received last financial year to see the full list of those services covered by your service charge.
The service charge is your share of the cost of providing services over the past year. We will send you a personalised service charge statement with a detailed breakdown of charges. We will always ensure your service charges are as accurate as possible. To do this, we analyse the amount we have spent throughout the financial year.
We notify you of any new charges four weeks before the start of the new financial year in writing. Drop-in sessions will also be arranged before the introduction of the charges.
Leaseholders pay towards the maintenance and repair of the structure and fabric of the building as well as communal services provided to the block and estate.
Homeowners pay towards the maintenance and repair of the estate around their home.
Major repairs and maintenance are not limited in cost (unless funded wholly or partly by certain Government or Homes and Communities Agency funds).
If you purchased under the Right to Buy or Right to Acquire schemes, there are limits during the first five years for repairs and improvements and general repairs, and for the first ten years for structural repairs.
These were detailed in your offer notice, which you received when you applied to buy your home. During these first five years, we cannot charge more than the amounts we estimated for itemised repairs and improvements (after allowing for inflation).
Unless you were advised of itemised structural defects in your building before you bought your home from us, you will not have to contribute towards the cost of putting that defect right during the first ten years.
Where any works will cost more than £250 or a long-term qualifying agreement will be more than £100 per annum for any one leaseholder then a S20 consultation will be carried out.
It is in our interests to ensure that all costs and services are reasonable and that charges are sufficiently supported by our accounts, receipts and documents.
Your lease requires that you pay eligible service charges. If you disagree with any element of the charge you have paid or want to raise a query or dispute, contact us so we can investigate and respond with our findings.
If you are unhappy with our decision regarding your dispute, you can apply to the Housing Ombudsman or the First Tier Tribunal-Property Chamber (Residential Property) for further judgement. You may wish to seek independent legal advice.
Contact us via email leasehold@arun.gov.uk or phone 01903 737846. We will endeavour to address your concerns swiftly and ensure you receive a prompt response to your enquiry.
The First Tier Tribunal is an independent service in England that settles disputes concerning leasehold property and the private rented sector in an accessible and informal way. You have to pay a fee if you want to go to the Tribunal.
The Citizens Advice Bureau can provide financial advice, or if you are of pensionable age, then Age UK can support you. You can also seek advice from a solicitor or a Law Centre, but you are likely to have to pay for their advice.
You have the right to inspect accounts, receipts and any other relevant documents related to your service charge summary. This request must be made in writing, either by letter or e-mail, within 6 months of receiving your service charge summary. We will then provide you with this information.
Following this, we will make available facilities for inspecting the documents within one month of your request and make them available for two months.