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Service Charges
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beckstas-money
Posts: 82 Forumite


Hi,
Is there somewhere I can find the annual cost of services charges for flats in Wandsworth?
I've called but not a leaseholder (yet!) so the lady i spoke didn't know who to put me through to and then gave me a wrong number.
Is there somewhere I can find the annual cost of services charges for flats in Wandsworth?
I've called but not a leaseholder (yet!) so the lady i spoke didn't know who to put me through to and then gave me a wrong number.
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Comments
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It totally varies depending from development to development. The way you are asking the question makes me concerned that you don't have a great understanding of how service charges work. Or maybe I'm just reading too much into the slightly fuzzy request?0
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Assuming you mean leaseholder service charges... the service charge is your share of the bills for a building.
The bills will be for things like maintenance, repairs, insurance, cleaning the communal areas, looking after the communal grounds etc.
The amount of those bills can vary enormously, for example:- So a brand new block might need few repairs, so the service charge is relatively low.
- Another older block might need more maintenance and repairs, so the service charge is higher.
- Another block might have lots of communal areas that need regular cleaning and decorating, so the service charge is higher
- Another block might have lifts that need refurbishing, flammable cladding that needs replacing, a car park that needs resurfacing, etc, so the service charge will be astronomical
- Another block might have no communal areas, no communal grounds, no immediate repairs to be done - so the service charge is very low
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princeofpounds said:It totally varies depending from development to development. The way you are asking the question makes me concerned that you don't have a great understanding of how service charges work. Or maybe I'm just reading too much into the slightly fuzzy request?0
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Is the flat or a neighboroughing one listed on Rightmove. The service charge was quoted on one I recently looked at.
Never pay on an estimated bill. Always read and understand your bill1 -
eddddy said:
Assuming you mean leaseholder service charges... the service charge is your share of the bills for a building.
The bills will be for things like maintenance, repairs, insurance, cleaning the communal areas, looking after the communal grounds etc.
The amount of those bills can vary enormously, for example:- So a brand new block might need few repairs, so the service charge is relatively low.
- Another older block might need more maintenance and repairs, so the service charge is higher.
- Another block might have lots of communal areas that need regular cleaning and decorating, so the service charge is higher
- Another block might have lifts that need refurbishing, flammable cladding that needs replacing, a car park that needs resurfacing, etc, so the service charge will be astronomical
- Another block might have no communal areas, no communal grounds, no immediate repairs to be done - so the service charge is very low
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I don't think there is a central place that you can see that. If it's council owned you can try a Freedom of Information (FoI) request to the relevant council, or search previous FoI requests.
It's worth saying that the service charge changes year to year. General maintenance may be approximately the same each year but any major repairs will come with a higher bill - major repairs aren't something you should see as unlikely but inevitable.0 -
beckstas-money said:eddddy said:
Assuming you mean leaseholder service charges... the service charge is your share of the bills for a building.
The bills will be for things like maintenance, repairs, insurance, cleaning the communal areas, looking after the communal grounds etc.
The amount of those bills can vary enormously, for example:- So a brand new block might need few repairs, so the service charge is relatively low.
- Another older block might need more maintenance and repairs, so the service charge is higher.
- Another block might have lots of communal areas that need regular cleaning and decorating, so the service charge is higher
- Another block might have lifts that need refurbishing, flammable cladding that needs replacing, a car park that needs resurfacing, etc, so the service charge will be astronomical
- Another block might have no communal areas, no communal grounds, no immediate repairs to be done - so the service charge is very low
But some estates list it on the listing of the property for sale. Or ask the estate agent what the service charge will be, but as above it varies a lot between developments depending what is required to be done and the size of the estate.0 -
In your position, I might try contacting Wandsworth leaseholder services and asking about service charges for similar maisonettes in the same development. For example:- Details of their service charges for the last 3 years
- Details of maintenance plans and/or major works currently planned
But TBH, I'd be slightly surprised if they told you anything - except that you can check a list of planned Major Works here: https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/housing/council-tenants-and-leaseholders/repairs-and-maintenance/major-works-to-council-properties/major-works-contracts/
You may have already checked this out as well: https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/housing/council-tenants-and-leaseholders/council-leaseholders/0 -
Robin9 said:Is the flat or a neighboroughing one listed on Rightmove. The service charge was quoted on one I recently looked at.0
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Any of those up for sale should give you the Service Charge.Never pay on an estimated bill. Always read and understand your bill0
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