Rent and service charge FAQs

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At Great Places we use government guidelines to set your rent each year. This means some of our customers may see an increase in their rent annually, and some may see a decrease. Any changes will be detailed in your tenancy or lease agreement. For more information on what your rent pays for please see below.

Some customers may pay a service charge or may be receiving services as part of the rent that they pay. Some of these services are eligible for Housing Benefit and some are ineligible, meaning Housing Benefit cannot cover these charges. For more information please see below. 

Your rent is used to pay for the management of your home and to provide you with essential services, such as improvements, repairs and maintenance. Across Great Places, we spend over £26 million on repairing, maintaining and improving homes each year.
 

This figure includes both routine and major repairs, preparing empty properties for new customers, servicing heating systems, as well as home improvements. 

Eligible service charges are for the communal services you receive, such as cleaning, lifts and grounds maintenance.

Ineligible service charges may include your individual water, heating, gas or electricity charges, which are paid for by you. Housing Benefit will not pay for these services. The services will vary depending on where you live. 

Please note: if you pay a heating charge this is included in the ineligible service charge. The heating charge is the amount you pay for us to provide the heating to your home. Previously this has been detailed as a separate charge on your rent letter.

Some customers will have received the Summary of Rights and Obligations with their rent letter. If you did receive this, this is a legal prescribed form which briefly sets out your rights and obligations in relation to variable service charges. 

If you haven't received this, this is because it is not applicable to your service charge.