Your charges and payments
As a leaseholder you are responsible for a variety of costs relating to the maintenance, repair and management of your home, block and estate. Our Leasehold Finance team and your CLO are always on hand to answer your questions. You can contact them using the 'Contact us' button at the top of this page.
12/01/2012
Ground rent
Because your lease is a long term tenancy agreement, you must pay a rent (which is usually a small amount each year) to RHP as lessor. Ground rent is a specific legal requirement of the lease and must be paid on the due date which is shown in your lease.
Annual services charges
Service charges are payments which you are required to make to RHP for the services that we provide. This will include things like maintenance and repairs to common parts, insurance of the building and, in some cases, for lifts, lighting, communal aerials, door entry systems, cleaning of common areas and grounds maintenance. Usually the charges will also include the costs of management of these services.
The costs of these services are recharged to you on an annual basis. Service charges can vary from year to year. They can go up or down, although we make sure that the costs are reasonable for the service that has been provided.
Details of what can (and cannot) be charged by us and the proportion of the charge that you will pay are set out in your lease. It is very important that you understand your service charge obligations.
Charges for major works, cyclical decorations and repairs
RHP is responsible for making sure that the main structure (e.g. roof, walls, communal areas) of your building and the common areas of your block and estate are kept in a good state of repair and decoration. We are responsible for organising this work, and you have a responsibility to pay for your share of the work.
As RHP often owns some rented homes in each block, we will also be paying for this work, so we have a strong interest in making sure that we only do work which is necessary and that we get the best value for money that we can. This does not always mean agreeing to the cheapest work, nor the highest quality – it will be about securing the best balance of quality and price.
There are legal requirements about how we consult you when we need to do this type of work and you will be given information and asked to give us your views and observations. We are required to consider your views but this does not mean that we will always agree with your views. RHP will have a responsibility to make the best decisions it can in order to ensure that the block or estate is kept in a good state of repair and decoration.
There are sometimes changes in the legal requirement relating to buildings which means that we have to carry out unexpected works in order to comply with the law. Where this happens you will also be informed or consulted about the work and you will be required to pay your share of the costs.
We can carry out improvements to your block or estate but you will need to pay your share of these works. An approximate schedule of works is available to download at the top of this page. Works in the next three years may be subject to change, but we will always consult you about this.
Paying for your services and works
When do I pay?
We will send your annual service charge invoice to you in April each year. This sets out our estimate of the likely cost of services for the whole of the coming year up to 31 March.
You will then receive a statement of our actual costs for these services compared to our estimate. This is produced in October of the following year. This is a statement of our actual costs and is not a demand for payment. You may find you owe us money or we may owe you a refund. An adjustment to take care of this is included in the following April’s invoice.
Payment for major works
Where we carry out major works or cyclical decorations, we will provide you with an estimate of the total costs of the work and your share of those costs before we begin. We will then provide you with information on completion of the works to show your actual charges compared to the estimate. You may be able to pay this over a period of 12 months interest free.
How can I pay?
We want to make it as easy as possible for you to pay your service charges. This means giving you a wide choice of ways to pay so you can choose the best and most convenient one. You can pay your service charges in quarterly or monthly instalments.
In person
- at any branch of your bank
- at any branch of Barclays Bank
- at our offices (by cheque only)
By post - You can send cheques to:
Richmond Housing Partnership
8 Waldegrave Road
Teddington
Middlesex
TW11 8GT
By phone
You can pay by debit or credit card over the phone by contacting the Leasehold Finance team on 0800 0322 433.
Instalment arrangements
For larger bills, you may be able to agree instalment payments with us. If you want to pay by instalments, please contact the Leasehold Finance team on 0800 0322 433.
Standing order
You can pay by standing order by contacting your bank or building society. Please tell us beforehand if you want to pay by standing order. Our bank details are as follows.
Bank and branch name: Barclays Bank PLC
Name of beneficiary: Richmond Housing Partnership
Sorting code: 20 - 72 - 17
Account number: 80417645
Please make sure that the payment date of your standing order is at least three working days before your payment is due.
Direct debit
If you want to pay by direct debit, please contact the Leasehold Finance team. We will take your bank details over the phone and contact your bank so that payments can start.