We will send you reminders before we take any further action and give you the chance to explain why you are not paying the bills. If you disagree with any part of your charges, we will do our best to deal with the problem. If we are satisfied that the services you have been charged for have not been provided to a reasonable standard, we will reduce the charges.

If you are having financial difficulties, we may allow you to pay in instalments and we can help you to apply for Income Support. When you apply for Income Support, your claim should include your service charges, the ground rent and insurance.

If we do not think that you have a good enough reason for not paying your full service charges, we may take action in the county court to get the money from you and to take back the lease. If the court agrees that you have broken the conditions of your lease, you must pay the charges plus interest. You will also be liable for our legal costs.

If you do not pay within the time allowed by the court, we will apply to repossess your flat and you could be evicted. If you lose your home in this way, we do not have to find you a new home because you will be considered ‘intentionally homeless’.

Leasehold valuation tribunals

If you feel that any of the service charges that we want you to pay are unreasonable, you need to explain this to the Right to Buy and Leasehold Services team. You must provide all the reasons why you feel the charge is unreasonable.

If we do not agree with you, you have the right to apply to a leasehold valuation tribunal, which has the power to decide whether service charges are reasonable or not.

If you want to find out more about leasehold valuation tribunals, ask the Right to Buy and Leasehold Services team for a copy of the booklet ‘Applying to a leasehold valuation tribunal’.