Service charges
On this page
About service charges
Service charges are payments that a leaseholder or a resident must pay for the cost of services provided by a landlord. These payments can be fixed charges or variable charges set out under the resident's lease or tenancy agreement.
Use this learning resource to further understand service charges.
Landlords can learn about how to review service charge complaints proactively. There is also information for residents who have concerns about the level of service charge they have paid or have been asked to pay by their landlord.
Guidance
Landlord expectations
Use this guide to understand what’s expected when handling reports of service charges.
It gives clear steps to manage cases effectively and meet the standards set out in the Complaint Handling Code.
Resident support guide
Use this guide to make the complaints process easier and clearer.
It will help you understand your rights, know what steps to take, and get practical advice on service charges.
Reports
Spotlight report on leasehold, shared ownership, and new builds
This report brings together insights from our casework on leaseholders, shared ownership, and new builds.
Explore the recommendations for landlords and case studies to improve standards in areas we see the most complaints.
Learning from severe maladministration
Explore a collection of reports that reveal the most serious failings we see in landlord services.
Use this collection to learn from real cases, understand what went wrong, and apply practical lessons to improve your own services. Browse the full set of reports to find the topics most relevant to you.
Landlord training
Training available on the Learning Hub
Strong, fair, and consistent complaint handling starts with good knowledge and practical skills.
Our Learning Hub gives you the tools to improve how your organisation understands and responds to the issues residents face.
Through our training, you can:
- build confidence in handling common challenges, from repairs and property condition to communication, record‑keeping, and service delivery
- understand the key findings, themes, and recommendations from our Spotlight reports
- learn how to use data, insights, and casework trends to create better outcomes
- explore real scenarios that show what good and poor practice look like
- deepen your understanding through virtual classrooms, eLearning, microlearning modules, and expert podcasts
Landlord Learning Hub
Your free training platform from the Centre for Learning
The Learning Hub gives you easy access to expert training designed for member landlords.
Create your account today and start using a wide range of resources to strengthen your complaint handling and meet the Code’s requirements.
Podcasts
Casework conversations playlist
Tune into our casework conversations series.
These podcasts share learning from our investigations. They highlight good practice from landlords and learning from failings in our casework.
Case studies
These case studies come from real cases we’ve handled. You can explore all published decisions via our online decision library, which we share to stay open and transparent.
No maladministration
We found no maladministration in how a landlord provided a breakdown of service charges.
What happened:
- the landlord reviewed the service charges for all residents
- service charges were equally shared amongst the residents, and this resulted in some resident’s charges increasing
- the resident lodged a complaint stating that the service charge for the cleaning services was not value for money
- the landlord agreed that the cleaning services were no longer demonstrating value for money
- it kept the resident updated throughout the process, and hand delivered a letter to advise them of the new contract
- the landlord fulfilled its obligation to provide a breakdown of what the resident will pay as a fixed service charge
- the landlord included the fixed service charge within the breakdown of the total rent
Severe maladministration
We found severe maladministration in this case after a landlord unreasonably withheld a refund for a charge the resident was not liable for.
What happened:
- the resident disputed his liability to pay service charges
- the landlord said the resident had agreed to the charges and they would not be removed
- the resident disagreed and they asked the landlord to escalate their complaint
- the landlord issued a stage two response and took further investigation
- it recognised that the resident had paid charges they were not required to
- it withheld the refund and compensation until the resident agreed to a variation of the lease to include the charge
- the resident declined to accept the proposed variation agreement or the landlord’s compensation offer
Resident information
Resident support guides
Use this collection of support guides to make the complaints process easier and clearer.
They will help you understand your rights, know what steps to take, and get practical advice on all aspects of complaints.
These resources will give you the confidence to raise issues and get them resolved.
When to get help from us
Not sure when to contact the Housing Ombudsman?
This page explains the right time to get help. It shows what steps you need to take first, what we can and cannot look at, and how we can support you if your landlord has not resolved your complaint.
Use it to understand your options and make sure your complaint reaches the right place.