Some services only benefit your building, while others are provided across a wider estate.

Service charges are grouped into different categories to help make sure costs are shared fairly between the residents who benefit from them. 

Estate service charges

Estate service charges help pay for services provided across the whole estate. An estate may include several buildings, blocks, houses and shared outdoor spaces. 

If you live on the estate and benefit from these services, you'll usually pay a share of the costs, even if you don't use every service yourself. 

Examples of estate-wide services may include: 

  • Security services provided across the estate 

  • Grounds maintenance, gardening and landscaping 

  • Maintenance of estate roads and footpaths 

  • Estate lighting, including pathways and car parks 

  • Upkeep of communal open spaces 

Block service charges

A block is the building you live in. This could be a block of flats or apartments but may also include maisonettes or other types of homes. Your lease or tenancy agreement explains what's included in your block. 

Block service charges help pay for services, maintenance and repairs that only relate to your building. These costs are shared between the homes in that block. 

Examples include: 

  • Cleaning shared hallways and stairwells 

  • Electricity for communal lighting and shared areas 

  • Roof, gutter and external building maintenance 

  • Repairs to communal areas within the building 

  • Fire safety systems that service the block 

  • Building insurance (where applicable to leaseholders) 

The services you pay for will depend on the terms of your lease or tenancy agreement. 

Core service charges 

A core is a shared area of a building that’s only used by a particular group of residents. This is usually an entrance, hallway, staircase or lift that serves a specific part of the building. 

Some buildings have just one core, which means all residents use the same shared entrance and facilities. Larger buildings may have more than one core, with different residents using different entrances and shared areas. 

Core service charges help pay for the services, maintenance and repairs needed in these shared areas. Because only certain residents use them, the costs are only shared between the homes that benefit from them. 

Examples of core services include: 

  • Cleaning shared entrances, corridors and stairwells 

  • Lighting for entrances, hallways and staircases 

  • Lift maintenance and servicing 

  • Repairs and maintenance to shared entrances and communal areas 

  • Door entry and access control systems 

Example of a core service charge:

If a building has three separate entrances, each with its own staircase and lift, residents only pay towards the entrance, staircase and lift they use. 

They wouldn't pay towards the cost of maintaining the other entrances or lifts in the building. 

This helps make sure service charges are shared fairly, with residents only paying towards the services and facilities that benefit them.