Helping you understand your service charges

Every year, we inform residents at The Mill of any changes to their rent and service charges related to the estate. However, understanding the purpose of those charges can sometimes be confusing or how they relate to you or your home.

So, what exactly is a service charge?

It is the charge made for maintenance on a property which has been leased or rented. For The Mill, your service charge is managed and delivered by Cadwyn Housing Association.

What does your charge pay for?

Service charges can pay for a number of things, but at The Mill, your charges pay for services including:

– Lift maintenance

– Cleaning (of communal areas)

– Fire equipment

– Equipment maintenance, which includes testing and any repairs

Overall, there has been a 2% decrease in the charges this year, in comparison to 2024/25, but ensuring that your community is maintained to a high standard, of which you can be proud.

However, service charges only apply to some homes, but everyone – whether you rent or own your home – will also receive an estate charge. This is a cost that covers the maintenance of our street lights, the green spaces and the roads across the estate. This is managed by Cadwyn, but delivered by Tirion Homes.

Rachel Honey-Jones, head of housing programmes for The Mill commented, “We want to ensure that our residents and communities are proud of where they live and the service and estate charges mean that, alongside our partners and contractors, we can deliver this.

“We are taking your concerns and queries very seriously in terms of the updated charges for 2025/26 and are listening to community feedback to ensure that the service charges are fair and transparent for everyone.”

Next steps

The charges will take effect from 1 April 2025, alongside rent increases, which you will have also been informed about through a separate letter.

However, if you have any questions in the meantime regarding service charges or rent increases, you can contact The Mill team on hello@themill-living.co.uk and they will support you. If your query relates to estate charges, you can contact Tirion Homes on info@tirionhomes.co.uk.