As part of your service charge agreement, your estimates are sent out in February and you'll recieve and actuals spend statement the following September.
Visit our dedicated Actuals 2022-23 to understand your latest statement and find out more information.
Your service charge is the cost to deliver communal and shared services to your building, and in some cases, surrounding estate.
If you are having problems paying your service charge, let us know - we can help.
We know when something goes wrong in your building it’s important that it gets fixed. If you need to report a repair call or email us. We’re here to help.
Before you pick up the nails and hammer, read 'Alterations' below to see what you may need permission to do.
Leaseholders are responsible for installing and maintaining a smoke alarm in their home. It’s important to test these regularly. If you sublet, you remain responsible for installing and maintain the smoke alarms that are interconnected, mains powered, and equipped with a non-removable battery backup.
We look at what services are provided to each building and estate; residents are then charged for the services that benefit them.
As we don’t know all the costs in advance, we base your charge on an estimate of how much services are going to cost over a 12 month period and where possible, include any upcoming one off charges.
We use the previous year’s costs to help prepare the estimate for the coming year. We have no control over charges such as VAT, or other external costs, so we can only anticipate what they are likely to be.
We understand life isn’t always straightforward and sometimes things don’t always go to plan. If you're struggling to afford your rent and service charges, then please let us know as soon as you can. We can help.
Where an increase in the service charge is shown, this will be an estimate, based on expenditure from the previous year, as well as including any programmed works for the next 12 months that we are aware of. In addition, prices will go up in line with market values and contract costs.
We make regular visits to our estates to make sure the level and quality of services are of a good standard. We encourage residents to get involved as Estate Inspectors and help us monitor these standards too. There is more information on this on our website under ‘get involved’.
The management charge covers the costs we incur as a landlord in managing service charge accounts and other costs associated with managing your estate/block and account. The management charge is set at 15% of the total cost of services.
The payment for fire safety equipment and emergency lighting is for the maintenance and the annual contract for servicing items such as fire alarm panels, automatic opening vents, and emergency lighting. These assist in the prevention and early detection of a fire and aid in your escape in the event of an emergency.
We make no profit from service charges; they simply cover the cost of providing services to you.
A variable charge means you pay 100% of the cost to deliver the service. At the start of the financial year, we'll send you an estimate of your service charge for the next 12 months - this is how much we expect the service to cost, based on the previous year, plus inflation and administration. Once the year ends, we compare the estimated cost with the actual costs using the invoices sent to us by our contractors.
We use this information to identify whether our estimate was:
If there is a surplus, we will pay money back to some people, whereas if there is a deficit we may have to ask for further payment from residents.
The budget, which you receive in April, is an estimate of the coming financial year’s expenditure. The statement, which you receive in September, is the document that states the actual expenditure for the previous financial year, which ended that April.
As the budget is an estimate we will only deal with queries about the amount charged once the statement has been sent out in September. However, we will deal with general queries at any time. You can only request to see invoices once the statement has been issued. Please see the service charge rights and obligations sheet for more information.
When the statement is sent in September you will be provided with a leaflet explaining how to challenge the service charge. Challenges can only be made after the statement has been issued.
Your service charge can increase as the cost of services rise. However, we will involve residents via a ‘Section 20’ consultation process if any proposed work will cost you or any other resident more than £250. In these instances, a letter or email will be sent out in advance to inform residents. If there is a third-party managing agent, we are not in control of their costs but are obliged to pass them on to residents.
After receiving your statement of accounts, you can contact THCH with any queries by emailing customerservices@thch.org.uk if we discover an error we will make any necessary amendments. We aim to provide full explanations to justify the charges. When the service charge statement is issued in September, this will show the budget estimate and also the actual amount spent in the previous year.
If you feel that the actual amount you are being charged is unreasonable you can request to see invoices to corroborate our charges. You can also contact us if you feel the works are incomplete and we will investigate.
If you are a Shared Owner or Leaseholder you can take it further by going to a First Tier Tribunal. The tribunal will look at both sides of the argument and then rule on whether the charge is fair.
If you are dissatisfied with their decision you can appeal to the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber). We can provide you with information, or alternatively, you can contact - LEASE (The Leasehold Advisory Service), at www.lease-advice.org
Most leases will usually state that we, your freeholder, must provide building insurance to protect the building structure and fittings. Leaseholders pay their share of this insurance through their service charge.
Our current policy is covered by Protector Insurance.
You must let us know if there are any household changes or alterations made to your home, as this may affect any claim. Please let us know if:
Your insurance (included as part of your service charge) only covers the structure of your building, including fixtures and fittings. You must make your own arrangements to protect the contents of your flat and personal possessions.
If you wish to make a claim under the buildings insurance, you should in the first instance contact our insurer Protector Insurance at claims@protectorinsurance.co.uk or by telephone on 0161 823 4810
Throughout your lease, there are bound to be things you want to change to make your house a home. But before you get out the hammer and nails, look at your lease to find out what you need permission for.
You'll need permission from us to:
As well as getting our permission, you may also need to get any relevant building control approval and planning permission.
If you make any improvements or alterations without first obtaining written permission you will be breaking the terms of your lease. Where permission has not been granted or works have not been carried out to suitable standards, we have the right to reinstate the property to its original condition at the expense of the leaseholder.
To apply for permission for alterations please complete the below form:
Your lease will let you know if you're able to sublet your home - it will also tell you how you need to let us know, and if you need approval.
If you're a Shared Owner, your lease may prohibit subletting. This means that you are unable to sublet your home. This is because we're obliged to protect the government funds provided to help you buy, by making sure the property is your main and only home. We may consider a subletting request under extremely exceptional circumstances at its absolute discretion for a limited period of time:
The initial period considered will be up to 12 months and timescales will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
Please do not make any arrangements unless you've received our formal approval, as subletting requests are not guaranteed.
Why do I need to request and register a sublet?
How do I register my sublet?
Leaseholders wanting to sublet should complete the below 'Subletting Form'. Once you've completed your application, please send it to customerservices@thch.org.uk
You're also required to provide a 'Deed of Covenant' between us and the tenant to ensure that all lease terms are complied with. The fee for registering the sublet and for the drafting of the Deed of Covenant is currently £125.00 plus VAT.
Applications should enclose payment for the Registration Fee and a Deed of Covenant signed by the tenant.
Other things to note:
The Right to Manage (RTM) lets some leasehold property owners take over management of the building - even without the agreement of THCH.
The Right to Manage lets you and the other leaseholders take over certain management responsibilities from THCH without having to prove bad management.
This means residents will be responsible for things like:
You're responsible for the gas appliances in your home. Our contractor K&T Heating offer a competitive rate for gas servicing. Leaseholders should contact K & T Heating on 020 8269 4500 or email for this service.
*All prices are for single wet or warm-air central heating systems.
If you're a leaseholder, we must consult with you if we plan to carry out major works in which you have to pay more than £250. Find further information here. The consultation process has two and sometimes three stages:
As part of the consultation process, we've created an email address, section20@thch.org.uk , that you can contact us on to submit your observations and any queries.
Submit a S20 query or observation Read FAQs about the consultation