The differences between estate, block and core service charges
You may pay different types of service charges depending on which services benefit your property. Think of it like three circles - the biggest circle is your estate, inside that is your block, and inside that is your core area. You only pay for services that benefit the area where you live. All of the services you pay for are listed in your occupancy agreement (lease or tenancy) and you will pay for them even if you use them or not.
Estate service charges cover services for your whole estate. An estate might have multiple blocks or buildings. All residents who live on the estate pay towards these costs and can use the services. Examples include:
- security services across the whole estate
- gardening and landscaping for outdoor areas everyone can use
- maintaining roads and paths within the estate
- lighting in shared spaces like pathways or car parks
A block is a building with multiple homes in it. Houses or maisonettes can also be part of a block. Your lease or tenancy agreement will tell you what counts as your block.
Block service charges cover services that only benefit your specific building. Only the people living in that block pay for these services.
What you actually pay for depends on your occupancy agreement. Tenants and leaseholders have different requirements - your lease or tenancy agreement specifies exactly which services you contribute to. If tenants don't pay for certain services, we cover their share so leaseholders don't pay extra.
Examples include:
- cleaning shared areas like hallways and stairs in your building
- utilities like electricity for lighting communal areas in your building
- repairs only needed for your block, like fixing the roof, cleaning gutters or maintaining walls
- building insurance (leaseholders only - tenants don't pay for this)
A core is a shared area within your block, like the main entrance or the staircase that leads to your front door.
- blocks can have one or several core areas
- cores may have more than one entrance
- some cores are partly open to the outside
Core service charges are divided between people who use the same entrance or staircase. This applies to buildings with multiple entrances or sections. Only residents who use that core area pay these costs. Examples include:
- maintaining lifts or stairs in your section
- cleaning or lighting for your specific entrance or stairway
- maintaining door entry systems for your section of the building
