Recharging and reasonable costs

We will recharge you reasonable costs and legal costs where applicable, for any damage you have caused to your property or surrounding area.

What is a rechargeable cost?

There will be times when we incur costs or provide a service to a tenant or leaseholder which is outside of our duties. In these circumstances we will have to charge back the tenant or leaseholder to cover our costs.

Common examples include:

a repair which falls outside of the scope of what is normally covered by our Repairs Service
criminal damage
legal or professional fees
replacement of lost/stolen/damaged/extra keys or fobs and lock changes
drain clearance for blockages where the problem can be traced to misuse by a particular household
missed appointments
clearing a property of abandoned goods following the end of a tenancy

Other circumstances can include where a resident has not complied with an obligation of their tenancy or lease, such as not allowing staff access to a property to carry out a gas servicing. There are also services that we can agree to undertake for an agreed charge.

How do I pay for a rechargeable cost?

Payment will normally be requested in advance, unless the charge relates to an emergency and residents will be required to agree to pay the cost before the work is carried out.

If payment is not made in advance, our Income team will contact you to ask for payment.

We may not allow you to carry out a transfer or mutual exchange until you have cleared the balance of any outstanding recharges.

We may take legal action or refer your debt to a Debt Collection Agency to recover the cost if they are not paid.

How to avoid being recharged

Be clear when reporting repairs about the cause of the repair.
Be prepared to carry out your own repairs.
Keep a set of spare keys with someone you trust or fit a key safe.
Let us know if you won’t be home for an appointment we have booked with you.
Make sure you clear everything from the property when you move out.
Request permission before you make any alterations.

Where tenants or leaseholders are experiencing difficulty in paying their recharges please contact our Income team as soon as possible and we will try and help you.

The best way to contact us is by email to FTA@lewisham.gov.uk. Alternatively, you can call 0800 028 2028 and select the option for the Income team.

For more details, please read our Rechargeable Costs policy.

Published on: 06/06/2025