DIY shared ownership (DIYSO)

Your rent is reviewed on 1 April each year in line with the provisions detailed in your lease. 

The rent you pay is based on the share of the property bpha owns. 

The money we raise through rent collection goes back into providing services – you can find more information about how we spend each pound below.

A service charge is a payment towards the cost of providing and maintaining communal areas and services. 

If you live in a block of flats or scheme with a communal garden, for example, the cost of maintaining that garden is covered by a service charge because it is available to all residents and is outside of your home. 

Any services you receive are shown individually in your annual rent and service charge review letter. 

We work hard to provide a good quality service at an affordable price, but please contact us with any concerns. 

Below are some examples of services provided by bpha. Not all of these apply to each home. Please check your annual rent and service charge review letter to see which services you pay for and how much these cost. 

These are some examples of services provided by bpha. Not all of these apply to each property. 

Please check your annual rent and service charge review letter to see which services you pay for and how much these cost. 

Air conditioning 
The maintenance and replacement of air conditioning systems that are installed in communal areas. 

Administration fee 
An administration fee of 15% is charged on the total cost of communal services  which covers the costs of obtaining and managing the service. 

Bin chute smoke shutter testing 
The smoke shutter testing of bin chutes. 

Building insurance 
Under the terms of your lease (where it applies), we have an obligation to insure the building on behalf of customers against risks such as fire and flood. Leaseholders and shared owners are recharged for the cost of this insurance. 

CCTV 
The maintenance and replacement of CCTV and, where applicable, a 24/7 monitoring service. 

Car park barrier 
The maintenance and replacement of car park barriers, where applicable. 

Caretaking service  
The provision of a caretaking service, including salary costs, equipment and supervision. 

Communal cleaning 
The cleaning of communal areas, including the cost of cleaning staff and materials. 

Communal electricity 
Providing lighting and/or power to internal areas of common use (hallways, corridors, stairs and rooms), including the provision of lighting, power points 
and emergency lighting, power to laundry facilities, lifts and other similar equipment. 

Communal flooring 
The cost of communal floor replacement, when needed. 

Communal furniture 
The cost for communal furniture replacement, including communal curtains/ blinds, when needed. 

Communal laundries 
The maintenance and replacement of laundry equipment.  

Communal TV licence 
The cost of a communal TV licence (and MPLC licence where films are screened where applicable) where a scheme has a TV in a communal area. 

Communal water 
The water supply to communal facilities such as laundries, kitchens, caretaking and cleaning services, and toilets. 

Communal window cleaning 
The contract cleaning of communal windows. 

Cookers in flats 
The maintenance and replacement of cookers in flats, where applicable. 

Door entry 
Maintaining the communal door entry system. 

Electrical safety testing 
Checking electrical sockets in communal areas. 

Fire safety  
Fire risk assessments and associated remedial work (such as replacing smoke strips on doors or fitting extra detectors in communal areas). Maintaining communal equipment including fire-fighting, smoke detection and smoke dispersal, where applicable. 

Gas communal areas 
Where there is a communal boiler, the cost of heat in communal areas. 

Grounds Maintenance 
Maintaining communal areas, grass cutting and general grounds work. 

Intensive Housing Management 
The provision of an intensive housing management service to residents in our Supported and Independent Living schemes. This includes the management of scheme facilities, providing additional onsite guidance, and arranging for activities, such as repairs, to be carried out. The charge is applied for services that are required in a scheme setting but would not be required in someone’s family home. 

Kitchen equipment 
The maintenance and replacement of catering equipment in communal or commercial kitchens in Independent Living Plus schemes. 

Laundry 
Maintenance and replacement of laundry equipment in communal laundries. 

Legionella 
Legionella testing, including risk assessment, for communal water supplies as required by law. 

Lift maintenance 
The maintenance, insurance and replacement of lifts. 

Lightning conductors 
The maintenance of lightning conductors, where installed. 

Managing agent services 
For some homes, the freehold is not owned by bpha and we work with a managing agent, on behalf of the freeholder, to provide a range of services for the estate. bpha is charged by the managing agent for the cost of these services, which are then included in your service charge, in line with your lease or tenancy agreement. If you would like more information about the services charged for, please do not hesitate to get in touch and we will be able to provide a copy of the managing agent’s accounts to you. 

Management fee (homeowners only)
The bpha management fee covers our costs of managing the relationship with you as set out in your lease or freehold transfer. It covers our costs of managing the lease obligations, collecting rent and service charges and carrying out consultations with leaseholders. 

Mechanical baths 
The maintenance and replacement or renewal of Independent Living scheme mechanical baths and hoists (medi baths). 

Monitoring charge 
These are the running costs of providing the central alarm control to provide 24/7 cover at schemes. The cost is calculated based on the number of connections to the central control system for each Independent Living schemes.  

Other charges 
This is the cost for personal service charges such as gas, electricity, and water, for personal use in your home.  

PAT testing 
Checking electrical equipment used in communal areas, for example, bpha-owned electrical items such as vacuum cleaners. 

Pest control 
Any costs incurred in clearing pests from communal areas, or where there is a risk of infestation from an individual home to communal areas, including pesticides and pest control contracts.  

Phone lines 
Cost of the line rental for telephones used in schemes. The phone lines are used in the office to support the lift alarm, and as part of the emergency alarm Tunstall equipment. 

Pull cord maintenance 
The maintenance of the Tunstall alarm system. 

Responder call out
The service supports residents in the event of a resident activating their pendant, speech module or pull cord. The call will be actioned by Tunstall Response in the first instance and passed to the bpha 24/7 support team if a call out is deemed necessary. This was previously know as ‘emergency call out’. 

Roof top safety 
The servicing and maintenance of fall arrest equipment used for roof maintenance and window cleaning. 

Scheme management fee (Independent Living schemes only)
This charge helps to fund colleagues’ time dedicated to on-site support, inspections, managing the service delivery, such as cleaning, grounds maintenance, and communal repairs, and liaising with customers. This is over and above the basic management support  covered by rent 

Sewer/surface pump servicing (only applicable if you are not connected to a main sewerage system paid for to a water authority). 
The maintenance and servicing of the wastewater/sewerage plant and system serving your home This includes any repairs that may be required. 

Sinking funds (only applicable to homeowners) 
In many leases there is a provision for bpha to collect payments in advance to create a ‘sinking fund’ - sometimes known as a reserve fund). The purpose is to build funds to contribute to the cost of any work that may be needed but does not happen regularly. This would primarily be ‘major works’, such as structural work or a lift replacement, or planned maintenance such as redecorations to a block.

Sinking funds help make the cost of major work more manageable. The level of contributions is assessed with reference to the age and condition of the building and likely future cost estimates.

Sinking funds earn interest and will be held in a separate bank account. Any contributions to the sinking fund are not repayable when a home is sold. Following the completion of works the total costs will be calculated and you will be charged for your individual proportion, based on the terms of your lease. The fund is only accessed at the point works are charged to you. You will be informed when your Sinking Fund will be used and kept advised of how much is in the fund on an annual basis. 

Stairlift
The maintenance and servicing of stairlifts. 

TV aerials 
Repairing or replacing communal TV aerials. This will be charged even if a tenant does not have a TV. 

White goods 
The maintenance and replacement of electrical goods in communal areas of schemes or blocks owned by bpha.

There are lots of ways to pay your rent and service charge, so that making any payment to bpha can be as convenient and flexible for you as possible.

A frequently asked question to our Customer Communications Centre is what the options are to pay rent or service charges, click the button below for a quick guide.

If you are on a low income, you could be entitled to Housing Benefit or Universal Credit to help pay your rent.

If you are of pensionable age or living in supported housing, then you could qualify for assistance from your local authority with some Housing Benefit.

If you are of working age you may be entitled to claim some Universal Credit to assist with your rent.

How much you receive will depend on your circumstances and current income.

You can apply for Housing Benefit/Universal Credit whether you are working or unemployed.

If your benefits are paid directly to you, you are responsible for paying your rent to us.

If your Housing Benefit or Universal Credit is cut, it is your responsibility to cover any shortfall. Please be aware that you are in danger of losing your home if your account is in arrears.

If you need any information about benefits, or help applying, please contact our Money Advice Team who will be able to help.

Find more frequently asked questions by clicking the button below.