What are Service Charges and how are they calculated?
A service charge is your contribution towards the costs of additional services which are beyond the benefit of occupying your home. Service charges can include the provision of security (including door entry and CCTV), cleaning, heating and lighting in communal areas, as well as grounds maintenance and other services.
A summary of service charges that could apply to your property
This service is for the annual servicing and maintenance for the digital aerial in the block.
This charge covers the asset renewal cost for the lift within the block.
This service is for the servicing, regular cleaning & maintenance on the bin chutes within a block.
This charge includes; servicing, repairs & maintenance of the static CCTV system within the block.
This service is for the caretaker service provided at our blocks. The charge includes such costs as caretaker salaries, rent, agency staff, equipment & uniforms.
This is the cleaning of all communal areas, sweeping and mopping of the corridors & stairs leading to the properties & cleaning of the communal door. For sheltered schemes this will include the cleaning of the communal room / kitchen & communal toilets. This charge also covers salaries, agency staff, cleaning products/supplies, tipping, litter picking, vehicle hire & insurance.
This service is for the electricity supply in the communal areas of the property.
This charge is to cover the costs of future replacement or decoration of the shared community room in the sheltered scheme blocks.
This service is for the communal door of the block. This charge is to cover the cost of maintaining the system including call outs, repairs and the telephone line.
This charge covers all the maintenance of the grounds within your block & open spaces within your area that may not be maintained by the council. This includes gardeners, salaries, agency staff, equipment, repairs, tipping waste & vehicle hire.
This charge is for the service, maintenance and repair of the fire alarm system. It also includes the service & replacement of fire extinguishers for your block.
The charge covers the heating of the communal areas.
These charges include the cost of the warden call equipment and the independent living advisors salaries.
This charge covers the servicing contract, insurance, call outs and repairs to the lift within your block.
This is 10% of the total cost of eligible service charges. This is to cover the administration of tendering for new contractors, managing contracts, dealing with queries and complaints, checking and paying invoices, and preparing and issuing service charge statements.
This charge is for the service and maintenance of booster pumps, dry risers, electrical testing, lightning conductor service, PAT testing and ventilation service.
This charge applies if you / the tenant have had a phone installed in your home with an agreed time to alert the call centre to confirm safety. If the agreed call is not made, this will be escalated until contact is made to confirm you are OK.
This charge is for the service, maintenance and repairs of the pedestrian & car park gates for your block.
This charge is for the service of the water tanks within your block, it also covers the on going maintenance and any repair work that may need to be done, including legionella testing.
This charge is for the window cleaning carried out at the tower blocks & sheltered schemes.
This list shows the services that could be included in each cost and a brief description. Please remember that only some of the services in each heading could apply to your property.
One Manchester operates a variable service charge regime. This means we only charge you for the cost incurred for delivering the service. Each year we assess how much we expect to spend on providing services to your property. This is based on an estimate of costs and it includes inflation and reflects the costs charged by our contractors.
These costs are then apportioned (divided) by the number of properties who receive the service. At the end of the financial year we then review what we have charged you to what it cost to deliver the services and apply any surplus/deficit adjustments against your charge in the next financial year. This means they can vary from year to year.
|
Month |
What to expect |
|
February/March |
Letter advising of charges from April based on estimated costs for future year |
|
April |
New service charge year starts at beginning of April |
|
May - August |
We review expenditure and compile accounts for the previous year ending 31 March |
|
September |
Residents receive service charge statement showing what the services actually cost compared to what they were charged. |
|
October - November |
Works starts on budget setting for the proposed estimates |
|
December |
We complete estimated budgets for the next financial year |