This book is designed to give an introduction and overview to service charges in social housing and is fully up to date with all developments.
Service charges are an integral part of landlords’ work in financing value for money services and sustaining customer satisfaction. They have always been relatively complex but with increased financial challenges and legal and financial complexity there is an increased need to understand how service charging works.
Housing Associations have traditionally levied service charges with most local authorities in England introducing them in the ‘noughties’. In Wales, local authorities are currently in the process of introducing service charges as part of the Welsh government’s new rent policy. Across the United Kingdom the rolling out of Universal Credit is having an impact on benefit entitlement for service charges.
The book addresses the following questions:
· How do Service Charges work:
o In Housing Associations and Local Authorities?
o For Leaseholders and Tenants?
· How are service charges calculated?
· How to de-pool service charges?
· When are service charges eligible for housing benefit / universal credit?
· How to ensure excellent customer service?
This book is designed for people who are not experts in service charges, but who need to understand the basics and achieve an overview of what is going on. It is suitable for councillors, board members, housing managers, finance staff, tenant representatives, members of the service charges team who have limited experience and others who realise that an understanding of service charges can place them at an advantage!
