Leasehold

A service charge is a payment you have to make towards the landlord's costs of providing services, repairs, maintenance, improvements, insurance and management in relation to the building where your flat is.

Service charges may be actual or estimated costs.

We split service charges fairly between all the flats in the building.

The cost of the services to tenants is not subsidised in any way by leaseholders. We pay the percentage relating to properties that we do not let on long leases.

Tenants contribute to some of the charges through the rent they pay.

The Council is responsible for maintaining the structure and exterior of the whole building and the communal areas such as halls and stairways.

The costs of this work are passed back to you on a proportional basis through the service charge.

Ground rent is the charge you pay once a year to reflect the fact that the building containing your home is owned by the Council.

The charge is an annual payment as detailed in your lease.

What the service charges include

The service charges include:

• Day to day repair / maintenance - routine repairs.
• Caretaking services, including inspecting the estate and building where you live, reporting faults, cleaning areas as shown on your local schedule, picking up litter, moving rubbish bins and carrying out bulk refuse collections.
• Maintenance of fire alarms / extinguishers in communal areas.
• Maintenance of door entry systems.
• Lifts maintenance and repair.
• Major work service charges - these are for large work projects, such as renewing windows or roofs, redecorating the outside of the building, and inside and shared parts. The services you receive will depend on where you live.
• Shared TV aerial - keeping a shared television aerial in working order. You have to pay even if you choose not to use it.
• Door-entry system - maintaining remote controlled door-entry systems if these services are in place, including regular visits under a planned maintenance contract.
• Management fee - this is the cost of calculating and issuing invoices and other financial information, together with the cost of running the services detailed above.

Paying your leasehold charges

We offer a number of different ways to pay to make paying your service charge as easy as possible:

Online

Pay leasehold charges online

Direct Debit

If you have a bank account this is the easiest way to pay your bill.

Payments can be debited monthly (except 29th, 30th and 31st) or weekly on a Friday from your account and can now be set up over the telephone.

Contact the Leasehold Team on 0191 424 7745.   

Standing order

Simple to set up. A regular payment can be sent by your bank to your service charge account. 

Contact us for a form.  

Town Hall

You can pay your service charge in cash or by debit card at the self-service kiosks at Jarrow Town Hall and South Shields Town Hall.

Swipe card (PayPoint)

You can use your swipe-card to pay your rent at selected retail outlets.

Currently you can pay at any location that displays the PayPoint logo.

Find Local PayPoints. 

If you have misplaced your swipe card please contact the Leasehold (Income) Team on 0191424 7745.

Debit card (by telephone)

Contact the Leasehold Team on 0191 424 7745 during office hours; or call the Housing Services Centre on 0300 123 6633 between 8am and 6.30pm, Monday to Friday. 

Please quote your 7 digit payment reference number.

Internet bank transfer 

Transfer payments direct from your bank account to the Council's Lloyds Bank account.

• Sort Code: 30-97-89
• Account number: 35508568

Please quote your 7 digit payment reference number which can be found on your ground rent or management charges invoice.