Service charges
Under the terms of your lease, you are required to pay ground rent as well as a financial contribution towards the services we provide. The contributions required from you are called service charges.
Learn more
-
How your charges are calculated
Ground rent
As a leaseholder, you have to pay ground rent to the City of Wolverhampton Council. Your ground rent is £10 per year and is invoiced in advance, on the anniversary of the original 'right to buy' sale date of the property.
Services, management fee and buildings insurance
Every year around 1 April, we will send you an invoice for our services, management fee and buildings insurance for the forthcoming financial year.
Learn more about services, management fee, and buildings insurance
Major works and improvements
We will occasionally need to complete major works and improvements to the buildings we manage. These works not only have the potential to add value to your property, but they are vital in maintaining the building to a good standard and avoiding ongoing maintenance costs in the future.
Your financial contribution towards major works and improvements will depend on the nature of the works and how many properties they stand to benefit. Your contribution will typically be an equal percentage of the total cost based on the number of properties in the building or on the estate. If you are expected to pay a contribution of £250 or more, we will consult with you. The law outlines a formal process for consultation.
Day-to-Day Repairs
Every year in April or October you may receive an invoice for any routine repairs we have carried out the previous financial year.
-
What to do if you are struggling to pay
If you are having trouble paying any of your service charges or are concerned about an invoice that you have not yet received, please contact us straight away so that we can offer you advice and support.
We can help you by carrying out an assessment of your financial circumstances and referring you to third party support agencies. We can also support you with flexible payment arrangements.
-
Overpaid service charges
If you have paid too much onto your service charge account, you have the option of leaving the credit on your account or requesting a refund. To request a refund, please print and complete the service charge refund form, and return it to the Leasehold Management team. If you don't have access to a printer, please contact us and we will put a form in the post to you. We aim to process refunds within 15 working days of receiving the request.
-
What to do if you don't agree with your service charges
We always aim to calculate charges fairly and correctly, but if you think we have made a mistake, please contact the Leasehold Management team. We will investigate the matter and get back to you with a proposed outcome.
You also have the right to apply to an independent tribunal. We will always abide by the tribunal’s final decision. However, the tribunal may charge you to hear your case.
Learn more about the First-tier Tribunal