Other Charges

There are other charges in addition to your rent payment which you may receive an invoice for. Details of these are shown below.  If you require further information on any of these charges please contact our office on 01450 364200.

Service Charges

Service charges are added to basic rents and cover the cost of cleaning and upkeep of communal areas such as stairways, landscaped areas and the maintenance of entry phone systems, lights and lifts if applicable in common areas.

Your Tenancy Agreement, signed when you moved into your home, will confirm if you have to pay a Service Charge from the start of your tenancy however it is worth noting that Service Charges can be introduced at any point during your tenancy when necessary if circumstances change.  The charges you pay are what it costs us to provide them – Waverley Housing does not make any profit from providing the service.

Recharges

Sometimes it is necessary for repairs carried out by Waverley Housing to be recharged to tenants.  This could be for repairs which are identified as being the responsibility of the tenant.

It may also be due to neglect or vandalism by a tenant, other family member or their visitors.  Examples of these scenarios include:

• Access Recharges (e.g. not providing access for an arranged repair; lost keys, forced entry and lock changes)
• Breach of tenancy conditions resulting in damage to the property
• Vandalism (e.g. broken window)
• Void recharges (e.g. repairs required following a tenant’s departure from a property)

Invoices for Rechargeable Repairs are required to be paid within 30 days of receiving the bill and dependent on the circumstances, arrangements can be put in place to pay the charges via instalments.   For further information please read our Recharges Policy

Factoring Charges

Factoring is applicable to those who own their property.  As a factor, Waverley Housing manages the common parts (e.g. the building structure; roof, pathways etc) of the property.  Working on behalf of the owners, it is our duty to keep the property in a good state of repair and to apportion costs for common repairs, for which all residents of the property are responsible.

As detailed in our Factoring Policy, fees are calculated on the percentage ownership for each owner and are charged directly to residents at cost.  Waverley Housing does not make a profit from its factoring service.

Each property has a Title Deed, a legal document, which sets out the agreed services and also details how the costs of common repairs are allocated amongst the owners.  When a property is sold, the new owner takes on responsibility for paying for the factoring service.

Factoring services include the following:

• Reactive repairs to common areas
• Cyclical maintenance and major repairs
• Comprehensive buildings insurance
• Maintaining a list of approved contractors
• Working with solicitors regarding sales