What are service charges?
They pay for the services provided to your estate or block. These might be provided by us or by a managing agent on behalf of us or the owner of the estate or block. The services could include cleaning communal areas, looking after any outside space, lift maintenance and communal lighting. Any changes in the amount you pay will take effect from April each year.
Can I see my rent and/or service charge statements?
Please ring Customer Services on 0300 303 1010 to ask for a statement.
Service charges pay for the services provided to your estate or block. These might be provided by us or by a managing agent on our behalf or the owner of the estate or block. The services may include cleaning of communal areas, ground maintenance looking after any outside space, repairs and servicing of items such as a lift, door entry system and communal lighting. They may also include the costs of any gas or electricity used in communal areas.
Any changes in the amount you pay for service charges will take effect from April each year. Paradigm does not make a profit on service charges; you just pay for the services that you receive.
Our service charges are classified as a variable service charge. This means that we provide an estimated charge at the beginning of the financial year and produce a final account based on the actual costs at the end of the year.
You will get at least four weeks’ notice of the change, with your new charges applying from the beginning of April each year. The amount that you pay may go up or down. This will depend on how much it cost us to provide services to you in the previous year and what we expect to spend providing those services this year. The service charge for shared owners is applied to your weekly rent.
Leaseholders and Freeholders receiving services will receive an annual invoice. Although we raise an annual charge, you can usually pay in monthly instalments if you prefer.
Your service charge amount will usually change from the first Monday in April.
The amount you pay for service charges covers your new service charge estimate from April as well as any adjustments which we informed you about last September.
As it isn’t possible to guarantee 12 months in advance exactly how much services are going to cost, we send you an estimate of what we think the cost of providing services will be in the coming year. This estimate is based on what was spent in the previous year, taking into account any increases or decreases due to changes in contracts or service requirements.
After the end of the year, we produce a Service Charge Year End Statement for your block, which shows what we estimated and the actual costs incurred. If we have spent more than we estimated, the difference will be adjusted in future charges. This ensures that you pay the true cost for the services provided.
For residents who have recently transferred from L&Q, your charges for 2026/27 have been set by L&Q on the same basis as they have done previously. Only next year, after we have reviewed the services provided and employed our own contractors, will we be able to set your charges.
An under recovery is when the actual spend at the end of the year was more than the estimated cost. This means your charge may increase in a future the following year to cover this extra cost.
An over recovery is when we spend less than we have charged you. This means your charge may go down the following year.
The management fee pays for the administration costs incurred by Paradigm. It covers:
The amount you pay depends on the services provided to your block / estate.
If you believe you have been charged for a service that you have not received, please contact Customer Services on 0300 303 1010. You should only be charged for the services you receive.
Your service charge includes the amount you pay for the services that you receive in your block or estate. The statement we send to you will outline these services and for more information on what each service covers please see the Service Charge Guide. Please note the guide is comprehensive and not all services may be relevant to you.
If you are struggling to make a payment, please contact our Customer Service Team on 0300 303 1010. It is important to tell us straight away if you are in financial difficulty. We are here to help and can provide information regarding help and support services. You can also visit our Customer Support Hub if you wish to view this information online.
Repairs to shared internal areas like corridors may be covered under general Maintenance and Service Contracts. For specific services—such as lift maintenance or fire safety systems—repairs may fall under their own service categories.
As a homeowner, you may be responsible for costs related to repairs of the building and shared services, as long as they are not exclusive to individual flats. These costs are included in Leaseholder Charges unless they are covered by a replacement provision or sinking fund.
Depending on the terms of your lease, you may also contribute to a sinking fund or replacement provision to cover future major repairs or replacements.
It is the responsibility of each resident to arrange for disposal of bulk waste, and this should not be left in bin stores or other communal areas. If we are forced to arrange for the collection of bulk refuse or fly tipped waste, then the cost will be included in your service charge. Where we have evidence that a specific resident is responsible for the bulk refuse this will be recharged directly to that person.
Under Section 20 of the Landlord & Tenant Act 1985, we are legally obliged to consult you if we plan to:
This consultation is carried out through the Section 20 consultation process. It includes but is not limited to:
If you live in a house, you may still pay service charges towards the maintenance and upkeep of your estate. This includes services like external cleaning or grounds maintenance, and may include maintenance of shared roads, paths or parking areas if they have not been adopted by the local authority. Where this applies, all properties on the estate will share the costs.
The purpose of a replacement provision or sinking fund is to set aside money each year for major works or larger maintenance work. If a fund is not in place, homeowners would be at risk of facing large bills when maintenance work is required. A replacement provision or sinking fund effectively spreads the cost of this work and would only be charged where your lease allows.
Sinking funds can be used towards a range of key maintenance tasks such as roof replacement, window replacement, external decoration, decoration of communal areas or replacing or upgrading items such as lifts or door entry systems.
Not all leases allow for the collection of contributions to a replacement provision or sinking fund. Where this is the case, the costs for such major works will either be added to your service charges or it may be invoiced separately.
Most homeowners have to pay ground rent as a condition of their lease. It is paid to the owner of the land your home is built on. The amount you have to pay and how you pay is detailed in your lease agreement.
We bulk purchase our energy in advance on a contract running from October to September to provide certainty and the best value for our customers. Your budget this year is based on your recent consumption figures and prices we expect to pay. Our energy consultants support us in making these.
Please contact our Customer Service team on 0300 303 1010.
Paradigm is committed to providing our customers the best possible value for money for the services provided. Here’s why your service charges may have increased:
This will vary based on your address, you can call us on 0300 303 1010 or email ContactUs@ParadigmHousing.co.uk and we can tell you the date of your next visit.
This will vary, but you can check out when your next visit will be here.
All of our offices will be closed from Tuesday 15 September at 5:30pm until Thursday 17 September 2026 at 8am while our staff take part in training.
We will still be available for you to raise emergency repair requests during this period. To report an emergency repair, please call 0300 303 1010.
