The differences between scheme, building and block service charges

You will pay different types of service charges depending on which services benefit your home. These services are normally provided at a scheme, building or block level – the three areas that make up your home and local area.

What you pay for depends on your lease or tenancy agreement, which specifies which services you contribute to. If tenants don't pay for certain services, Eastlight will cover your share, so leaseholders don't pay extra.

  • Your scheme

    A scheme is the area or estate surrounding your home that Eastlight owns and looks after. Scheme service charges cover services for that whole area or estate. A scheme might have multiple buildings, blocks or individual properties.

    All residents who live in the scheme pay towards these costs, covering things like:

    • Maintaining paths and roads where the local authority hasn’t adopted them
    • Communal gardening and landscaping for outdoor areas everyone can use
    • Security services across the whole area or estate
    • Lighting in shared spaces, like pathways and carparks

  • Your building

    Your building sits within the scheme and contains the block or blocks where your and other residents’ homes are located. It will have shared external walls and roof, and houses or maisonettes can also be part of a building. Building service charges will cover the services that only benefit your specific building.

    Only the residents living in homes within a building will pay for these services, which might include:

    • Repairs only needed to your building, like fixing the roof, cleaning gutters and maintaining external walls
    • Buildings insurance (for leaseholders only – tenants don’t pay for this).

  • Your block

    A block will have a separate entrance with a shared, communal area. It may be one of multiple blocks within a building or may be a standalone block. Block service charges are divided between people who use the same entrance and communal areas.

    Only residents who share these spaces pay these costs, and covers things like:

    • Cleaning of communal areas, like entrances, hallways and stairways
    • Utilities like electricity for communal lighting in your block
    • Maintaining door entry systems, lifts and stairs