About service charges
A service charge is separate from your rent. Service charges are the amount tenants, leaseholders, or shared owners pay to cover the cost of providing communal or shared services and repairs to a building, beyond their home, and, if it applies, the surrounding estate.
For example, if you live in a flat in a block, your service charge would go towards the cost of cleaning the communal areas in your block.
Help to pay your service charge
We understand and appreciate that you may be concerned about paying for your service charges. We want to assure you that we can provide help and advice for anyone who is struggling financially. If you are worried or struggling please talk to us as soon as possible.
We can talk you through the options. We may refer you for specialist advice on money, debt or benefits such as Housing Benefit or Universal Credit.
Call our Customer Hub
- Monday to Friday: 8am to 8pm
- Saturday: 8am to 12 noon
Housing Benefit or Universal Credit?
If you claim Housing Benefit or Universal Credit, and the services are eligible, you can claim for service charges.
If you do not receive Housing Benefit or Universal Credit, we can offer advice and support. For example, we can help you contact the council’s Benefits and Support Team to reassess your income to see if you are entitled to financial support or make a referral for specialist advice if appropriate.
Some service charges are ineligible, such as heating and hot water, as well as personal care and support, and can’t be claimed through Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit.
Torus Foundation also offers support and advice with energy bills and accessing hardship funds. Find out more on the Torus Foundation website
To find out if you’re entitled to Housing Benefit or Universal Credit to help you pay your rent or service charges, you can also use the government’s online benefit calculator on the gov.uk website.
Types of service charges
These are communal or shared services we could include in your service charge
Staff costs covers the people who provide you with advice and guidance to help you manage your tenancy safely at the scheme you live in. For example, your Scheme Manager. They provide you with advice and guidance to help you manage your tenancy safely.
This is the cost of supplying electricity in communal areas, which may include items such as: lighting inside and outside your block or building, lifts, alarm systems, CCTV, etc.
This is the cost of supplying gas to heat the communal areas of your block or scheme.
This is the cost of supplying water to communal areas of your block or scheme.
This is the charge for cleaning communal windows. Sometimes we clean the windows of individual apartments, depending on the building's design.
We provide handyperson and caretaking services to Extra Care schemes that need additional support. The handyperson will carry out minor repairs to the communal areas, litter pick grounds and generally ensure the areas are safe and free from hazards.
This is the cost of cleaning communal or shared areas in a block or scheme. This includes the cost of cleaning areas such as stairways, corridors, entrance halls, landings, and communal rooms, including labour, materials, and equipment.
The cleaning frequency can be specific to the block or scheme. Buildings that are cleaned more than once a week will have a portion cleaned on each visit.
If you have a communal TV aerial system in your block or building, this covers the cost of providing and maintaining them.
If there has been an ongoing problem in a block with pests, we will schedule pest control visits. In blocks where customers have reported a pest problem, we will arrange visits to assess and treat the problem.
This is income collected from the bungalows around the scheme that have access to the communal room.
Where there are shared grounds including footways, parking areas, gardens or lawned areas, we provide a service to maintain these areas. Our responsibilities can include cutting the grass, trimming hedges and bushes, clearing leaves and weeding. The cost we will charge you will vary depending on the design of your shared garden area. For example, we will maintain gardens with grassed areas twice a month in the growing season. We would maintain shrub beds and hedges twice per year.
This cost includes: regular maintenance inspections, regular safety inspections, lift repairs and upgrades, supplying and maintaining the emergency telephone system, if your lift has one.
This covers cost of maintaining, servicing, inspecting and testing of fire safety equipment provided in your block or building. This can include: fire alarm system, smoke dispersal systems, dry risers, fire extinguishers, emergency lighting or other specialist fire safety equipment.
This covers anything we need to do to make sure our buildings are safe for the people who live there and that we comply with health and safety regulations. We carry out: building fire risk assessments, legionella tests, emergency light tests, checking water systems.
We estimate the amount for repairs to the communal areas of your block or scheme each year.
This is the cost of making sure your home's communal door entry system is safe and secure. It covers servicing and repairing the entry system and includes things like: keypad door locking mechanism, door entry phone
This covers the costs of periodic maintenance or servicing of systems and equipment at your block or scheme. This may include automatic gates and barriers, communal ventilation and the building management system (BMS).
This covers the costs of periodic maintenance or servicing of equipment at your block or scheme. This could include water pumps, water boosters, attenuation tanks, gullies and drainage, uninterrupted power supply, heat interface units and air conditioning.
This covers the cost of: supplying, maintaining and servicing of the communal laundry equipment.
The Warden Call is provided at many of our schemes, maintenance includes the entry system, pullcords and pendants.
This charge covers the cost of maintaining and repairing equipment CCTV images at your block or scheme.
This charge covers maintenance and repair of communal furnishings. For example chairs and white goods such as a cooker or fridge in your block or scheme
This is for the costs for a managing agent They manage the communal services to the estate you live in. For example grounds maintenance works.
This is to cover the costs of the Scheme Manager services. Your Scheme Manager will provide you with advice and guidance to enable you to manage your tenancy safely.
We have remote fire alarm monitoring on some sites. This service charge can include monitoring and responding to the fire alarm systems and carrying out welfare checks.
This is 15% of the annual service charge budget. This charge contributes to the cost of managing and providing services to the building, preparing budget estimates, financial accounts and answering your enquiries.
These funds are for replacing equipment in communal areas in when they are needed. This can include lifts, door entry systems, fire safety systems, including alarms and emergency lights and furniture we provide in communal rooms.
Some leases allow Torus to collect a sinking fund or cyclical fund payment through the service charge. This sinking fund goes towards the costs of major items of expenditure such's as roof or window replacement. The cyclical fund will be for items of expenditure such as painting.
You pay a variable service charge. This means the amount you pay changes, depending on the cost of the services. We estimate the cost of providing the services at the start of the financial year which runs from April to March and you pay the service charge based on this. At the end of the financial year, we compare the actual cost of providing those services to you with the estimated cost and the result of this calculation is your surplus or deficit charge.
This the cost of providing heating and hot water in your home.
This the cost of supplying water into your home. This includes a management fee.
This is the cost of the building insurance cover for your property. Insurance has increased significantly due to a number of environmental changes which has pushed up the price of insurance globally, Torus is no longer able to cap the cost of insurance, however we have retended this service obtaining coverage and maximum value for money. Download the building insurance policy.
You pay a variable service charge for personal services in your home such as heating and/or water. This means the amount you pay changes depending on the cost of the services. We estimate the cost of providing the services at the start of the financial year which runs from April to March. You pay the service charge based on this estimate. At the end of the financial year, we compare the actual cost of providing those services to you with the estimated cost. The result of this calculation is your surplus or deficit charge.
This cost is for personal repairs to your apartment.
This charge is for the Heath and Wellbeing Coordinator who facilities wellbeing activities.
This is to cover the cost of the Staying Home Officer. Your Staying Home Officer provides you with advice and guidance to enable you to remain at home safely.
This device in your home enables you to contact Alertacall and us, 365 days of the year. We can use this device to message you and keep you up to date.
Your scheme has an emergency alarm linked to a 24-hour emergency alarm call handler. In an emergency, you can summon help by pulling a cord or activating a pendant, 24 hours a day. Your scheme manager will respond to alarm calls when on site. A call handler will respond to alarm calls when your scheme manager is not on site.
This covers cost of the TV licence for the communal television(s) in your scheme.
Service charges for Liverpool customers
Torus will introduce service charges for Liverpool tenants and adjusted service charges for Liverpool leaseholders in April 2026.
We did not make this decision lightly. We provide a range of services to our Liverpool tenants that are not covered by their rent. Similarly, we provided services for Liverpool leaseholders that their current service charges did not cover.
Service charges could include cleaning communal areas, grounds maintenance, and communal electricity. We will introduce service charges for Liverpool Torus tenants and add further charges for Liverpool leaseholders where we provide communal or shared services. These variable service charges start from April 2026.
Why Torus introduced or changed service charges in Liverpool
The cost of providing these services is considerable. We were using part of the income we get from all our customers to cover these costs. We were unable to continue meeting the costs of providing these services.
We needed to recover the cost of providing these services. While many housing associations charge for these services, Torus did not charge most Liverpool tenants for these communal or shared services.
Liverpool leaseholders already paid service charges. If their lease allows, we will include new charges, such as block cleaning, in their service charge. We will start applying these new charges in April 2026.
Introducing or changing service charges for our Liverpool customers is crucial to maintaining high-quality services for them. It will help us make sure we charge and collect fairly from everyone who receives communal or shared services across all Torus homes.
Torus consulted with Liverpool tenants about introducing service charges and with Liverpool leaseholders about changing their service charges in 2025.
In May 2025, we sent letters to customers affected by the proposal inviting them to our drop-in sessions across Liverpool. These sessions ran from mid-June to mid-July 2025. Customers could learn more about the proposal and give us their feedback. They could also give feedback on the proposal by calling our Customer Hub, emailing us, or visiting us.
We notified Liverpool's elected members of the proposals and consultation events during the summer, including all Councillors in affected wards (including the Leader of the Council and Cabinet Members), as well as the five Liverpool MPs.
We collated feedback from the drop-in sessions. We wrote to Liverpool customers about our decision to introduce or adjust service charges. In the letters, we have included a summary of feedback from the consultation.
You can find the Liverpool service charge timeline section below.
| Date | Action |
|---|---|
| May to early June 2025
|
Letters to affected customers in Liverpool to let them know about our proposal to introduce or change service charges
|
| June to July 2025
|
Consultation drop-in sessions across Liverpool
|
| 18 July 2025 | Consultation feedback closing date |
| August to September 2025
|
Collate feedback and present to the Torus Board
|
| November 2025
|
Torus decided on the proposal
|
| November 2025
|
Letters sent to Liverpool tenants and leaseholders to let them know about the decision and feedback
|
| Autumn 2025 to January 2026
|
Information about rent and/or service charges for each Torus customer collected
|
| February 2026
|
Booklet sent to each Torus customer detailing their rent and/or service charge
|
| April 2026
|
Service charges start for Liverpool tenants or change for Liverpool leaseholders
|
Frequently asked questions about service charges
A service charge is separate from your rent. Service charges are the amount tenants, leaseholders, or shared owners pay to cover the cost of providing communal or shared services and repairs to a building, beyond their home, and, if it applies, the surrounding estate.
Service charges can be fixed or variable. Your tenancy or lease says whether you pay a fixed or variable service charge.
This is an area shared with other residents, such as corridors or stairs. If you live in a house, you may have communal grass areas, such as spaces outside the boundary of your home. Examples of these areas include paths, grassy areas, and shrubbed areas.
A variable service charge means the amount you pay will change, depending on the cost of the services.
It’s not possible to guarantee exactly how much the services will cost 12 months in advance. We will estimate the cost of providing the services at the beginning of the financial year. We will base this estimate on what we spent providing the services the previous year and any other costs we know about.
During the year, you will pay the service charge based on the cost we estimated at the beginning of the financial year. At the end of the financial year, we will compare the actual cost of providing the services to you with the estimated cost.
If the actual cost is higher than the estimated cost, we will add any extra cost to next year’s account. If the actual cost is lower than the estimated cost, any additional money you paid will roll over, and we will deduct it from next year’s service charge.
We introduced variable service charges in Liverpool from April 2026, after consulting with customers in 2025.
We will communicate clearly and transparently about the services which we charge you for.
Fixed service charges are estimated at the start of the year. If you have a fixed service charge, you will pay the estimated cost sent to you at the beginning of the financial year.
Regardless of what we spend on the service, the cost to you doesn’t change. If the actual cost is higher than the estimated cost, you will not have to pay anything more. If the actual cost is lower than estimated, you won’t receive a refund.
Your service charge would cover the cost of providing communal or shared services and repairs to a building beyond your home and, if it applies, the surrounding estate. A service charge is separate from your rent.
We would only charge you for the service(s) we provide to you. These communal or shared services could include the following:
- Cleaning of communal areas
- Grounds maintenance
- Electricity
- Fire safety
- Lift maintenance
- Door entry systems
- Building safety
- Communal repairs
- CCTV
- Aerial maintenance
- Window cleaning
- Other maintenance contracts
- Renewals and replacements.
You will find more detail about each of these in the Types of service charges section on this webpage.
No, service charges are over and above what you normally pay to occupy your home.
The rent you pay covers the services we normally provide to you in your home. Your rent payment includes things like repairs, managing your tenancy, collecting the rent you pay and dealing with any issues of anti-social behaviour.
Service charges cover what we provide for you outside of your immediate home. You usually share these services with other tenants and residents in your immediate block or area, for example, grounds maintenance or a lift in a block of flats. They are known as communal or shared services.
Properties are grouped into blocks to divide service charge costs. We calculate the service charge based on the cost of providing services in the communal and shared areas of your block. We then divide the costs among the residents in that block.
We introduced a variable service charge for Liverpool customers. A variable service charge means the amount you would pay changes each year. What you pay will depend on the cost of providing those communal services.
As it isn’t possible to guarantee exactly how much the services cost 12 months in advance, we estimate the cost of providing the services at the beginning of the financial year.
We base this estimate on what we spent providing the services the previous year and any other costs we know about.
During the year, you pay the service charge based on the cost we estimated at the beginning of the financial year. At the end of the financial year, we compare the actual cost of providing the services to you with the estimated cost.
If the actual cost is higher than our estimate, we add any extra cost to next year’s account. If the actual cost is lower than our estimate, any additional money you paid will roll over, and we will deduct it from next year’s service charge.
Please get in touch with us if you have any concerns about service charge-related issues. For example, if you think the service is of poor quality, then we can address it in a timely manner and continue to make sure we offer good value for money.
If you claim Housing Benefit or Universal Credit, and the services are eligible, you can claim for the proposed service charges.
If you do not receive Housing Benefit or Universal Credit and we introduce service charges, we will offer advice and support. For example, we can help you contact the council’s Benefits and Support Team to reassess your income to see if you are entitled to financial support or make a referral for specialist advice if appropriate.
Some service charges are ineligible, such as heating and hot water, as well as personal care and support, and can’t be claimed through Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit.
Torus Foundation also offers support and advice with energy bills and accessing hardship funds. Find out more on the Torus Foundation website
You can also see if there is any additional grants on the Lightning Reach website.
lightningreach.org/application-portal
To find out if you’re entitled to Housing Benefit or Universal Credit to help you pay your rent or service charges, you can also use the government’s online benefit calculator on the gov.uk website.
Yes, we send you personalised service charge account information in February each year. This gives you details of the services you receive and the costs to provide each element.
Torus is committed to providing all our tenants with value for money, quality services and does not make a profit from the services we provide.
Torus provided a range of these services to our customers in Liverpool that their rent didn't cover. These included communal area cleaning, grounds maintenance, and communal electricity.
While the majority of housing associations charged for these services, Torus did not charge most of our Liverpool tenants for these communal or shared services. Liverpool leaseholders already paid service charges. But their service charges didn't include things like block cleaning. If their lease allowed this, we will include these charges from April 2026 .
The cost of providing these services is considerable. We were using part of the income from all our customers, not just those who received the services, to meet these costs.
We needed to recover the cost of providing these services. By introducing or changing service charges we are able to continue to provide high-quality services for all our customers. It makes sure that we collect charges fairly from everyone who receives our services.