Paying your Service Charge - Contour Homes

READ AND REVIEW APPROVED •
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Why am I in arrears, I make regular payments?
I have paid in full but I have still received
? ? ? ?
If you are paying monthly you must pay in advance
an arrears letter
on the 1st of every month. If you are paying
Payments can take up to three days to reach
quarterly you must pay on the 1st of each quarter,
your account and therefore it is essential that
i.e. April, July, October, January in advance.
monthly payments are made on or before the
Otherwise you are considered to be in arrears.
1st of every month.
? ?
? ?
? ?
? ?
What do I do if I have a complaint about the
services I pay for?
If you have a complaint about the services
provided you should raise this with your leasehold
officer immediately to allow us to address the
issue. You should not stop paying your service
charge. If your account falls into arrears, legal
action will be taken against you (See the ‘What
Happens If You Don’t Pay’ section).
I don’t want to pay by direct debit – what
other options are available?
Direct debit is the simplest way to pay, however,
if you are not able to pay by direct debit there
are a number of other options detailed in the
‘Methods of Payment’ section of this leaflet.
I haven’t received an invoice/request for
payment – how do I know that payment is due?
We do not issue monthly invoices or requests for
payment. The budget issued at the beginning of
the financial year details how much you need to
pay for that year. If you choose to pay monthly it
is up to you to ensure that the necessary
payments are made on the 1st of every month.
I cannot contact you during office hours –
how can I make a payment?
We can take telephone payments between 8am
and 6pm, however, if these times are not
suitable, direct debit is the simplest way to pay.
If you are in arrears and need to make a one-off
payment you can send a cheque or make a
bank transfer (bank details contained in
‘Methods of Payment’ section of this leaflet).
SYSC.CPS.01.13
If you have any difficulty reading or understanding this
document, we can provide this copy in large print, Braille,
audio, or you could request a translation. Please contact our
Customer Contact and Support Team on 0345 601 2410.
Contour Property Services is an industrial & provident society (registered no.23975R).
A member of Symphony Housing Group.
A GUIDE TO
Paying your
Service Charge
Quay Plaza 2, First Floor - Lowry Mall,
Salford Quays, Salford M50 3AH.
Telephone: 0345 601 2410
Email: leasehold@symphonyhousing.org.uk
FACTSHEET 4

How to Pay Your Service Charge
You are obliged by the terms of your lease to pay a
service charge to cover the cost of services provided
by Contour Property Services (part of the Symphony
Housing Group). Details of the payments required
are contained in your annual budget and customers
can pay annually or monthly.
Annual Payment
You can pay in full each year in advance on receipt
of your budget.
Monthly Payment
If you choose to pay on a monthly basis, payments
must be made in advance on the 1st of every month.
Interest
If you default on a payment we are entitled to charge
interest in accordance with your lease.
Methods Of Payment
Direct Debit
This is the simplest and easiest way to pay. All
you have to do is request a direct debit mandate,
complete and return the form and make sure you
have enough funds in your bank account to
cover the payments and we will do the rest.
By Telephone
You can pay with a debit or credit card over the
phone by calling 0345 601 2410 between
8.00am and 6.00pm Monday to Friday.
By Post
You can send a cheque to: Contour Property
Services, Quay Plaza 2, 1st Floor – Lowry Mall,
Salford Quays M50 3AH
Your cheque should be made payable to
Symphony Housing Group and you should write
your unique C reference number on the back.
It should be received by the 1st of the month.
By Standing Order
Contact us to request a Standing Order form,
complete the form and send it to your bank or
building society.
By Bank Transfer
If you would like to make a payment by bank
transfer, please use the bank details below:
Bank:
Natwest
Account Number: 46533923
Sort Code: 01-06-88
Please use your unique C reference number
with all payment transactions (this will be shown
on your statement).
Overseas EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer)
If you do not hold a UK bank account and
would like to make a payment by bank transfer,
please use the bank details below in addition to
the bank details above:
IBAN Number:
BIC Number:
GB89NWBK01068846533923
NWBKGB2L
What Happens If You Don’t Pay
We take non-payment of service charges very
seriously. If your account falls into arrears we will
take the following action:
COUNTY COURT JUDGEMENT (CCJ)
We will begin legal proceedings to obtain a County
Court Judgement (CCJ) against you.
!
!
!
The application fee will be added to your
account and must be paid by you.
A CCJ will stay on your credit file for 6 years.
If you try to obtain credit in the future, eg, apply
for a bank loan or obtain credit in a store, a
bad credit history will result in refusal of credit.
Once we have obtained a CCJ we will require
payment of the debt. If you do not pay in full
within 14 days of the CCJ, we can take the
following action to recover the debt:
!
!
!
!
!
BAILIFF
We can instruct a bailiff to visit your home to
collect the debt. The fee for this is £100 and will
be payable by you directly to the bailiff.
ATTACHMENT OF EARNINGS
We can instruct the court to trace your employer
and write to them to obtain payments directly
from your salary.
MORTGAGE LENDER
We can write to your mortgage lender to inform
them you have failed to keep to the terms of your
lease and your property is at risk of forfeiture.
If your mortgage lender pays on your behalf,
they will charge a fee and interest.
FORFEITURE OF THE LEASE
We can apply to the court to obtain possession
of the property. This means you will lose your
home without financial compensation.
OVERSEAS CUSTOMERS
If you do not reside within the UK we can apply
for a Judgement in your country of residence and
the cost of Court Service and employing solicitors
to do this will be added onto your account.
We are still able to forfeit a lease even when
the owner does not reside in the UK.
Service Charge Payments are
mandatory as per the terms of your
lease. If you do not pay your service
charge you risk the loss of your
home with no compensation.
Contact us on…
0345 601 2410
leasehold@symphonyhousing.org.uk