Changes to your service charge
In October 2020 the district's housing service was brought back to be run by the council. Since then the housing team have been working hard to make your homes and estates better places to live.
Part of this work is making sure the costs linked to your tenancy are accurate and easy to understand.
For many years tenants have been paying a “pooled” service charge. This was one combined amount for maintaining communal areas, but there was no breakdown of what you were paying for. To make things clearer, the housing team have undertaken a piece of work to ‘de-pool’ the service charges. Those tenants that pay a service charge for the block or scheme they live in will see exactly what services they pay for and how much each one costs.
January 2026 – You will receive a letter giving you more details about how this will affect you if you currently pay a service charge.
February 2026 - You will then receive your annual rent variation notice letter this will explain your exact rent and service charge breakdown for the coming year (April 2026 to March 2027).
I am concerned about the affordability of the charges, what can I do?
If you are concerned about the affordability of the charges then it’s very important that you contact us as soon as possible so we can help and support you. If you are worried about this, please contact our income team on 01303 853300 or email us at housing.service@folkestone-hythe.gov.uk.