Leasehold Service Charge Calculator

Start with the one number most leaseholders know: the amount on the demand. Enter it for the period you are billed — monthly, quarterly, six-monthly or annually — and you immediately get the true monthly, annual, weekly and daily cost. A month is never treated as four weeks, so the weekly figure divides the year by 52 rather than 48.

Add last year's annual charge to measure the increase in pounds, per month and as a percentage. Open Add detailed breakdown to enter your statement line by line, with last year's figures alongside, and the calculator shows which categories actually drove the change and what share of the increase each one accounts for. Add earlier years to see the compounded average rise across the whole period.

Everything else is optional: property value and floor area for cost per square foot, mortgage and ground rent for housing-cost context, and a major works contribution spread over the period you expect to pay it.

Service charges fund the shared parts and shared services of a building: buildings insurance, the managing agent's fee, cleaning and communal electricity, lifts, gardens, fire safety, refuse, and repairs and maintenance. Many buildings also collect a reserve or sinking fund contribution towards future major expenditure.

Because the mix depends entirely on the building, two flats worth the same amount can legitimately pay very different charges. A block with a lift, concierge and communal heating will always cost more to run than a converted house with a shared hallway. That is why this page does not score your charge against a national average.

A reserve or sinking fund is generally money collected towards future major expenditure — roofs, lifts, external decoration — so large costs are spread over time rather than landing as one bill. Whether your building operates one, and how, depends on your lease and management arrangements.

Reserve contributions are not money you personally hold, and they are usually not refunded when you sell. If you enter a reserve contribution in the breakdown, the calculator shows it separately from your day-to-day running costs.

Major works — a new roof, lift replacement, cladding or fire safety remediation — are usually billed as a one-off contribution on top of the normal service charge. The calculator spreads the amount you enter over the period you expect to pay it, so a £12,000 contribution over 24 months shows as £500 a month sitting alongside your regular charge. It never compounds that one-off amount as if it were an annual service charge.

In England and Wales, landlords generally have to consult leaseholders before carrying out qualifying works, or entering qualifying long-term agreements, where any leaseholder's contribution would exceed the relevant statutory limit — often referred to as Section 20 consultation. The process and current limits are set out in GOV.UK and LEASE guidance, and whether it applies depends on the works and on your lease.

Leaseholders in England and Wales generally have rights to information about how service charges are calculated, and a service charge is normally only payable to the extent that the costs are reasonably incurred and the work is of a reasonable standard. Disputes can often be referred to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber).

Scotland works differently — most flats are owned outright, with common repairs handled through title deeds and property factors — and Northern Ireland has its own rules. Nothing on this page is legal advice: start with your lease, then speak to LEASE (the Leasehold Advisory Service) or a solicitor about your specific bill.