Paying your service charge bill
This page lists the many ways you can pay your service charge bill.
Under the terms of your lease you should pay the bill within 21 days of the date you receive it. If you cannot afford to pay the bill in one lump sum, you can arrange to pay by up to 10 monthly instalments. It is important that you contact Leasehold Services to agree your instalment plan.
You can pay via
Direct Debit
If you have a current account with a bank or building society you can set up a Direct Debit to pay your service charges each month. Paying by Direct Debit is an easy way to pay – there are no cheques to write, no paper work or postage and no queuing. For more information about Direct Debit, contact the Leasehold Services team.
Standing order
You can ask your bank to pay the service charge by standing order, usually on a monthly basis. You will also need to fill in and return the instalment request form, which we will send you with the bill. We can give you a form to set up a standing order.
By cheque direct to Lewisham Council
You can also send us a cheque using the freepost address. You should make your cheque payable to ‘London Borough of Lewisham’. You need to make sure that your service charge account number, your name and the address of the leasehold property are on the back of the cheque.
By credit or debit card
You can phone the hotline on 020 8690 8707. You will need to quote your name, address, service charge account number (10 digits) and say that the payment is for your service charge.
Or, call Lewisham Homes' Leasehold Services on freephone 0800 028 2 028 - press 5 (it may be cheaper to call 020 8613 4000 from a mobile).
Payments online
The London Borough of Lewisham offers a 24 hour secure online payment service. This facility allows you to make a variety of payments over the internet using a credit or debit card. You can pay your service charge bill by going through the leasehold online payments section of Lewisham Council's website.
Plastic card
We send all leaseholders a plastic card to pay for the Major Works service charge when we send the bill. You can use this at any post office. You can use the card for either cash or cheque payments. If you pay by cheque at the post office, you should make the cheque payable to ‘The Post Office’.
If you have lost your card or have not received a card, please contact Leasehold Services for a replacement.
Paying at a bank
At the bottom of the invoice is a bank giro slip. You should use this if you are paying at a bank. You need to be aware that some banks may charge you for this service.
If you don’t pay
It is a condition of your lease that you pay for the services that you receive. This money, along with the rent paid by council tenants and any subsidies from central Government, pays for the services we deliver to council buildings and estates.
It is important that you pay your share of the costs. We, acting as the council’s managing agent, have a duty to make sure that we collect the money you owe.
If you refuse to pay your service charge, we will take legal action to recover your debt. This could result in you having to pay extra costs. You could even lose your home.
If you are having difficulties, make sure you contact us.
