Consultations, opportunities and projects

We are seeking the views of tenants, leaseholders, and shared owners on the new Torus Service Charge draft Policy.

Since Torus brought together Helena Homes, Liverpool Mutual Homes, and Golden Gates Housing Trust we have recognised that there are several old processes in place with different approaches in different areas. One of these processes is service charges.

Services charges are the charges applied, in addition to the rent, to customers who receive communal services. These may include things like:

• communal cleaning
• grounds maintenance (grass cutting and weed control)
• communal repairs (only if you are a leaseholder/shared owner living in a block of flats)
• on-site support (only if you live in a sheltered, supported or Extra Care scheme)

This policy seeks to standardise our approach to service charges across all Torus homes receiving communal services.

Proposal

Torus propose to introduce a new Service Charge Policy. This policy is below for your consideration and comment.

This policy aims to standardise our service charge offer across all Torus properties to ensure fair, consistent, and transparent application for all those receiving communal services.

The policy

• Seeks to ensure best value for money and that all the costs of providing communal services and communal/shared areas are recovered, in line with your tenancy agreement or lease.
• Will introduce Service Charge booklets for each service charge payer, breaking down charges, allowing our tenants, leaseholders, and shared owners access to more information on where they live i.e., the scheme in which they live and the estate which they are part of.
• Is proportionate, ensuring that customers only pay for the services they receive.
• Aims to ensure affordable services for all tenants, leaseholders and shared owners no matter where they live.
• Ensures the cost of delivering these services is recovered, Torus remains financially sustainable and able to continue to deliver key services.

Providing support

For those customers who receive full Housing Benefit, service charges are covered by Housing Benefit. But many of our tenants, leaseholders, and shared owners cover the cost of service charges themselves.

Torus recognise that there are significant financial pressures on our customers. We will procure and manage communal services efficiently to keep costs as low as possible and will offer support where this is needed to affected individuals, to look to maximise income and ease the impact of service charges where we can.

Your views on this draft policy are welcome and crucial to inform our approach to fair, consistent, and transparent service charging.

Find out more by emailing tenantvoice@torus.co.uk or call 0800 678 1894 and ask to speak to the Tenant Voice team, who will get back to you within five working days.’

Tenant Inspectors work with us to improve services for all tenants and leaseholders. They get an insight into our services and procedure and test our services to help shape services to meet the needs of others.

Inspect service area’s such as Rents, Antisocial Behaviour, Housing Management, Allocations have developed a committed standard of service for tenants – to test they are doing what they have committed to carrying out Mystery shopping and Inspections!

Inspections can be done from your own home or in person.

Each inspection will only take a couple of hours of your time.