As well as paying your rent, as a Tuntum resident you will also pay a service charge.
The size of the service charge depends on where you live, and is reviewed every year to make sure you’re paying enough to cover the cost of the services provided, and no more.
What does my service charge pay for?
Service charges pay for a range of communal services provided at Tuntum schemes and estates. We are committed to providing attractive and pleasant places to live, and maintaining our estates to a high standard. This means providing high-quality, cost-effective communal services such as lighting, caretaking, cleaning and grounds maintenance. Service charges also cover the cost of providing and servicing fire alarms, emergency lighting and door entry systems. Your charge will depend on the services we provide to the building or estate you live in.
How is my service charge set?
We calculate service charges for each financial year using a combination of factors including:
- The known cost of contracts, such as caretakers, cleaning and grounds maintenance, lighting and lift servicing;
- Costs from the last full financial year (e.g April 2021 to March 2022), such as communal electricity and the cost of removing rubbish
- The cost of replacing large items such as floor covering, fire alarms and emergency lighting systems
What if my service charge changes?
We review service charges every April, and we will write to you to let you know what the service charge will be for the coming year.
If during the year our estimated costs are not correct, we will adjust the service charge for the following year.
If we don’t spend as much as we thought we would on services, we will refund you by reducing your service charge payments proportionally for the following year.
If we spend more than we planned, we’ll recoup the money from you by adding the extra costs to your service charge payments for the following year.
In all cases where we or our contractors provide services, we will make sure that the work is carried out to a high standard and that you receive value for money at all times.
