Paying your service charge - Tower Hamlets Homes

PayingyourservicechargePhone020 7364 5015Emailleasehold@towerhamletshomes.org.ukFor LeaseholdersWebsitewww.towerhamletshomes.org.ukTHH_payingyourservicecharge_9.indd 1 10/06/2010 10:51

If you need help, here’show to get in touchContact usWebsitewww.towerhamletshomes.org.ukFind answers to your questions,learn about our services, find outwhat we can do for you and viewall of our leaflets.Phone020 7364 5015Text-phoneCall us with the helpof BT Text Relay18001 020 7364 5015EmailFor general enquiriescontactus@towerhamletshomes.org.ukFor rentsrents@towerhamletshomes.org.ukFor service chargesleasehold@towerhamletshomes.org.ukWrite to usPO Box 66355London E14 1GURepairs HelplineFor when you need to report acommunal repair or ask us aboutthe progress of a repair that hasbeen already reported. Someone isavailable 24 hours, every day.Phone0800 376 1637(free from landlines)or 020 7364 7070Bengali/Sylheticall between 9am and 5pmon 0800 376 1638 free fromlandlines or 020 7364 5151‡hvMv‡hvM ‡hvMv‡hvMAvcwb Avcwb hw` evsjvfvlvq hw` hw` evsjvfvlvq †Kvb †Kvb †givg‡Zi †Kvb†givg‡Zi K_v K_v K_vwi‡cvU© wi‡cvU© Ki‡Z Ki‡Z Pvb Z‡e Pvb Pvb mKvj Z‡e Z‡e mKvj 9Uv †_‡K 9Uv 9Uv †_‡K weKvjweKvj5Uvi 5Uvi g‡a¨ 5Uvi g‡a¨ 0800 g‡a¨ 0800 376 376 1638 1638b¤^‡i b¤^‡i hv b¤^‡i hv hvj¨vÛjvBb j¨vÛjvBb †_‡K †_‡K wd« ev wd« wd« ev ev 02073647364 51515151b¤^‡i 5151b¤^‡i †dvb †dvb Kiæb| †dvb Kiæb|Emailrepairs@towerhamletshomes.org.uk(not for emergency repairs)Anti-social behaviourFor when you need help or adviceon anti-social behaviourPhone0800 917 5918(free from landlines)Your local Housing Office1 RushmeadBethnal GreenLondon, E2 6NEOpen——9am to 5pm Monday to Friday(except the last Wednesdayof every month 10am to 5pm)——9am to 1pm Saturday——Closed Bank HolidaysAccessWheelchair access, hearing loopin reception areaCheviot House227-233 Commercial RoadLondon, E1 2BUOpen——9am to 5pm Monday to Friday(except the last Wednesdayof every month 10am to 5pm)——9am to 1pm Saturday——Closed Bank HolidaysAccessWheelchair access, hearing loopin reception area542 Roman RoadLondon, E3 5ESOpen——9am to 7pm Monday——9am to 5pm Tuesday to Friday——9am to 1pm Saturday——Closed Bank HolidaysAccessWheelchair access, hearing loopin reception areaEvery care has been taken to makesure that information contained inthis leaflet is correct as at May 2010.Tower Hamlets Homes manageshomes and estates owned byTower Hamlets Council.Tower Hamlets Homes is a tradingname of Tower Hamlets HomesLimited. Registered in Englandand Wales.Registered Office:Jack Dash House2 Lawn House CloseMarsh WallLondon E14 9YQCompany No. 06249790.VAT Registration No. 912 4819 30.THH_payingyourservicecharge_9.indd 2 10/06/2010 10:51

When to payService charge estimateBefore the start of eachfinancial year (1 April), weestimate how much it willcost to provide services toyour home and block for thecoming year.Because you have to pay yourservice charge in advance,your service charge estimateis your service charge bill foryou to pay.We send you an invoice forthese estimated charges,along with a summary of yourrights and obligations.You can pay your annualservice charge in full straightaway or spread the cost over10 monthly instalments.We also send you a separateinvoice for your ground rentand building insurance. Youwill also need to pay thisimmediately.Actual service chargeAfter the end of eachfinancial year, we work outhow much it actually coststo provide services to yourhome and block. We willsend you a statement ofthis expenditure before 30September which tells youhow much the services youreceived in the previous yearactually cost, along with astatement of your account.If your actual service chargeduring the year was less thanthe estimated service charge,we will credit your servicecharge account.If your actual service chargewas more, we will send youan invoice for the additionalamount due. This is payablewithin 28 days.4THH_payingyourservicecharge_9.indd 4 10/06/2010 10:51

How to pay yourservice chargeWe offer lots of ways to payyour service charge.OnlineUse your debit/creditcard to pay your servicecharge at:www.towerhamletshomes.org.ukYou can pay online 24 hoursa day, any day of the week.Standing orderYou can choose tomake a regular paymentfrom your bank. Contact usfor a Standing Order formon 020 7364 5015 or at yourOne Stop Shop.PostUse your paymentslip and pre-paid replyenvelope. Send chequesor postal orders madepayable to:London Borough of TowerHamlets, 62 Roman Road,London E2 0PG.In personPay by cash, chequeor debit/credit card atthe cashiers at 62 RomanRoad, London, E2 0PG. Youwill need your invoice numberor monthly instalment slips.However you choose to pay,make sure your payment goesto your account by:——using your 11 digitinvoice number on all billpayments, cheques andcorrespondence——using our correct sortcode (08-90-76) andaccount number (LBTH61012927) if you pay bystanding order, telephoneor internet banking——keeping any receiptor payment referencenumber safe.TelephonePay by debit/credit cardover the telephone bycalling 020 7364 5015.Or by using the 24-hourtelephone payment line on020 7364 3800. You will needyour invoice number.5THH_payingyourservicecharge_9.indd 5 10/06/2010 10:51

When we takeenforcement actionWe will send you a statementof your account four times ayear to help you keep track ofyour payments. If you make alate payment, miss a paymentor don’t pay your servicecharge, we will:— Let you know in writing, soyour service charge arrearsdon’t get out of hand.— Contact you to discussyour arrears by phone or byvisiting you at home if wedo not hear from you.— Ask you to clear yourarrears immediately or tosign an agreement to makerealistic and affordablepayments to clear yourarrears.— Offer you debt and benefitadvice, especially if you arehaving money problems.You can also ask us to referyou to independent helpwith debt.— Terminate any storageshed, garage, parking spacelicence or permit whenthey expire so that thesecharges do not add to yourservice charge arrears.If you continue not to pay orrepeatedly break agreements,we will:— Warn you before takingfurther action in writing.— Contact your mortgagelender (if you have one)and ask them to pay youroutstanding arrears. Yourarrears may be added toyour mortgage.— Begin proceedings inCourt to recover youroutstanding arrears. Courtcosts, solicitors’ fees andinterest may be addedto your arrears and couldaffect your credit rating.— Seek to end your lease ifyour arrears remain unpaidafter a court or leaseholdvaluation tribunal hasmade a decision that youmust pay.8THH_payingyourservicecharge_9.indd 8 10/06/2010 10:51

Service charge disputesIf you disagree with aparticular part of your servicecharge, please contactthe team responsible fordelivering that service togive them the opportunity toput things right. If they can’tremedy the problem you canescalate your complaint toour Customer Service Teamwho will investigate.If this still does not fix theproblem you can ask for yourdispute to be referred toan independent companyfor mediation, arbitrationor adjudication. To findout more please see ourleaflet Putting Things Rightor contact the CustomerService Team.If you register a dispute,you may be able to withholdcharges until the dispute isresolved. Please rememberyou need our writtenagreement to do this.We will usually agree towithholding part paymentrelating to your disputewhen a service has not beenprovided or falls below ourstandards, or if the servicecharge is unreasonable interms of the law (section 19of the Landlord and TenantAct 1985).Please remember that wewill take further action if youwithhold payment withoutour written agreement,withhold more than weagreed, or if you don’tmake an agreed paymentor don’t respond to ourcorrespondence.Customer Service TeamPhone020 7364 5015 (option 3)9THH_payingyourservicecharge_9.indd 9 10/06/2010 10:51

Your service charge– what you pay forWorking out yourservice chargeService charges are workedout so that everyone paysa fair share of the cost ofproviding services to yourhome and neighbourhood.Service charges varydepending on the serviceswe provide to your homeand block and the termsof your lease. Your leasewill also tell you how yourshare of these charges iscalculated.CleaningIncludes: cleaning of thecommunal areas of yourblock and estate.Repairs and maintenanceIncludes: repair andmaintenance of thestructure and communalareas of your block,and lift and door entrymaintenance.ServicesIncludes: looking after thegreen and paved areason your estate, providingany CCTV or conciergeservice, electricity used incommunal areas, fuel usedby a communal boiler thatprovides heating and hotwater to your home.Management andadministrationAn annual fee which includes:dealing with anti-social behaviour,dealing with enquiriesand complaints, invoicing andcollecting service charges,accountancy, legal services,attending residents’ meetings,enforcement of lease conditions,dealing with communalrepair queries and leaseholderconsultation.How we work outyour shareTo ensure leaseholders onlypay a fair share of the actualcost, we work out yourindividual contribution formost services based on thegross rateable value (GRV) ofyour property. The GRV takesinto account the size and valueof your property, as set out inyour lease.For example, if there are 10properties in your block withan identical GRV of £340 andthe cost of providing cleaningto your block is £2,000 thecalculation would be:10 properties × 340= £3,400 (block GRV)£2,000 (cost of block cleaning)÷ £3,400 (block GRV)x 340 (property GRV)= £200Your share of cost will varyslightly depending on theGRVs of your home and otherproperties in the block. Ifall properties in your blockare leasehold properties werecover 100% of the cost ofmanaging and maintaining theblock from leaseholders.In blocks with only leaseholdproperties we are ableto offer leaseholders theopportunity to reduce theirservice charge by negotiatingwith us about the servicesthey need. Please contactus for more details aboutthis. In most blocks there’susually a combination of bothleaseholders and tenants,and so the cost is shared.On your actual servicecharge invoice we show yourindividual property cost aswell as the total block andestate cost.10THH_payingyourservicecharge_9.indd 10 10/06/2010 10:51

Want toknow more?Here’s how to find out moreabout the services we provideand what we can offer you.Talk to yourhousing advisersThey can answer most ofyour questions or put you intouch with people who can.Pick up our range ofleaflets and publicationsThey give you moreinformation on all of ourservices. You can find thesein our reception areas, onour website or by contactinga housing adviser.Read ourservice standardsThey set out what we do soyou know what to expect.We have a service standardfor each of the services weprovide. These are available onour website and in our offices,or you can ask a member ofstaff for more information.Visit our websiteYou can find lots ofinformation about what wedo, how we are performing,and our latest news andinformation. Also availableonline are our leaflets andpublications as well aslocal information such asneighbourhood inspectiontimetables.Check outyour newslettersThey contain news andinformation about our serviceand are delivered straight toyour door.Look at yourlocal noticeboardIt has information about yourNeighbourhood HousingTeam, neighbourhoodinspection timetables anduseful information for whereyou live.11THH_payingyourservicecharge_9.indd 11 10/06/2010 10:51

TranslationsThis leaflet is for leaseholders andtells you more about how to pay yourservice charges and what you shoulddo if you are in financial difficulty. If youneed help to understand it or if youhave any questions, please contact usby telephone, email or visit one of ouroffices. We can arrange alternativeformats including large print, andprovide written information in yourown language. We can also offer ameeting with a member of staff andan interpreter.TranslationsPhone020 7364 5015Emailcontactus@towerhamletshomes.org.ukBengaliSomaliQoraalkan waxa loogutalogalay dadka haysta kiradamuddada dheer waxana uumacluumaad kaa siinayaasida loo bixiyo khidmadahaadeegga iyo tallaabada aadqaadi lahayd haddii uu kuhaysto ciriiri dhaqaale. Haddiiaa du baahan tahay in lagaacaawiyo fahamka qoraalkaama aad su’aalo qabtid, fadlannagula soo xiriir telefon,iimayl ama soo booqo midka mid ah xafiisyadeenna.Waxaan kuu diyaarin karnaakulan aad la yeelatid xubinka tirsan shaqaalaha iyoturjumaan ama waxa lagu siindoonaa macluumaad ku qoranluqaddaada.THH_payingyourservicecharge_9.indd 12 10/06/2010 10:51