Adding service charges

Hand at laptop paying with credit card

We provide services to your building which are needed for your health and safety or security. We’ve been covering the cost to provide these services.

We now want to introduce some new service charges to cover those costs and by law, we must consult you on this.

The services we provide include servicing and maintaining equipment installed in your building.  This includes the:

  • fire alarm
  • automatic opening vents
  • emergency lights
  • regular Fire Risk Assessments we must complete
  • lift maintenance
  • door entry maintenance
  • photovoltaic maintenance (also called solar panels)
  • water testing for shared water tanks

We’re also consulting some customers about introducing a cleaning service which we need to begin to keep the communal areas clean and safe.

The cost of these services are individual to each building/scheme. They’re charges which aren’t covered by your rent and for which we currently don’t recover the costs. We’re proposing to charge you and your neighbours in your building/scheme who either use these services or have the benefit of them an equal share of the cost.

Why we’re proposing to recover the cost

We’ve been paying the cost to provide these services but it’s not affordable long-term for us to continue to do so. As a not-for-profit organisation our income goes to providing services and supporting our customers. Covering the cost of these services means we have less funds available to maintain and improve our homes, provide services, and build new homes.

What will it cost me?

We’ve explained in the letters we’ve sent what the proposed weekly total is. We’re conscious this could cause some financial worries for customers so we’re capping the cost for customers where the weekly amount is more than £1 week.

Why we’re consulting you

Your tenancy agreement says we must consult you when we’re considering adding new service charges.

Let us know what you think

Please get in touch to let us know your thoughts about our proposal to collect the cost of these services from you.

You can contact us direct by email to service.charges@goldinghomes.org.uk or by phone on 0300 777 2600.

You can also write to us at County Gate One, Staceys Street, Maidstone, Kent, ME14 1ST.

Deadline for your feedback is by 4 December 2024.

Frequently asked questions:

  1. Are these new services?

    No, only the cleaning service we’re consulting some people about is a new service. All the other services we’re already providing but we’ve been paying the cost to do so.

  2. What happens about the cost this year?

    We’ll continue to cover the cost of these services this year. Should we go ahead with adding these services to your service charges you’ll only be paying for the year ahead. Any cost this year will be met by us.

  3. What happens after the consultation period has ended?

    After the consultation period ends, we’ll review all the comments we’ve received and decide if it’s still appropriate for us to go ahead with the charges.  

    We’ll write to you again by 15 January 2025 to confirm our final decision.

  4. What help and support it available?

    We do appreciate it’s not easy managing money and increasing what you pay for can cause worry. We’re here to help, so please talk to us. Call 0300 777 2600 and ask for the Income team. 

  5. What's included in my rent?

    Your rent covers the cost to maintain the structure and exterior of your home and the fittings within your home related to the supply of water, gas and electricity. Your rent also covers sanitation fittings (basins, sinks, baths and toilets), and the boilers or equipment provided for heating and hot water.  

    Service charges are used to recover the cost of services we provide which aren’t included in your rent.  

  6. When would these new changes start?

    Your tenancy agreement allows us to add or remove a charge at any point during the year. We’re proposing to add these charges from the next financial year which for most customers begins Monday 7 April 2025. There are a few customers who have a different financial year, so their charges will begin on 2 June 2025.

  7. Why are we consulting with customers?

    Your tenancy agreement says we must consult you when we’re considering adding new service charges.  

    The consultation period will end on 25 November 2024.

  8. Why are we proposing to recover the cost?

    We’ve been paying the cost to provide these services but it’s not affordable long-term for us to continue to do so. As a not-for-profit organisation our income goes to providing services and supporting our customers. Covering the cost of these services means we have less funds available to maintain and improve our homes, provide services and build new homes.  

    The law allows us to charge for the cost of services which are provided to you or which you benefit from but aren’t covered by your rent.

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