SLAs - Costs and basis of charging

This SLA covers the following charges shown on the service charge invoice:

• Supervision and Management
• House Officers
• Electricity
• Common parts
• Lifts
• Background Underfloor Heating

A proportion of the charge shown as “Supervision & Management” in the leasehold service charge covers the costs of the customer services function carried out by the BEO and PS which is included under Technical Services on the service charge invoices. The costs cover the relevant proportions of staff time and associated costs such as accommodation and information technology.

The cost also includes a proportion of the costs charged by other City Corporation departments that provide financial services, information technology support and legal work.

The cost does not include the costs of managing major works projects. These costs are project specific and are recharged directly to the appropriate leaseholders in accordance with statute and the lease.

The costs are recharged to leaseholders in accordance with the percentage set out in the lease.

A proportion of Supervision and Management costs is charged to other accounts such as car parking or baggage stores and is therefore not charged to the Service Charge Account, and some is abated in part or entirely where appropriate. The allocation between accounts is based on timesheet information. Each block carries an apportionment of the Estate-wide charge.

This SLA covers the following charges shown on the service charge invoice:

• Cleaners
• Car Park Attendants/Estate Concierge
• Lobby Porters
• Window Cleaning

Charges for Estate Management services are calculated separately for each element and are charged to leaseholders in accordance with the percentage in the lease. The charges appear under the following headings on the service charge statement:

Cleaners

The charge for the cleaning staff is based on the number of cleaners in each block.

The charge for materials and equipment is charged on the estate-wide percentage in the lease.

Costs are calculated using direct service cost elements i.e. salaries and on-costs, uniforms, equipment and materials costs. The cost of the proportion of time spent on activities not rechargeable to residents (i.e. car-park, baggage store, lakeside areas and podium area cleaning) is not charged to the Service Charge Account.

Car Park Attendants/Estate Concierge

The costs of the Car Park Attendants and concierge services comprise the gross salaries (i.e. including on-costs) and uniform costs of Car Park Attendants and a proportion of the costs of the Line Management, plus overheads.

(Two-thirds of these costs are charges within the City Corporation Car Park Account. The remaining one-third is charged to the Barbican Residential Service Charge Account to reflect the concierge and security services provided to residents. This is recharged to terrace block leaseholders, apportioned in accordance with the percentages set out in the lease).

Lobby Porters

One third of the total costs of salary and on costs plus uniform costs are attributable to each of the three towers together with a proportion of the costs of the Line Management.

Window Cleaning

The window cleaning charges consist of the sums paid to contractors. The apportionment between blocks is based on the contract price when the window cleaning was last formally tendered. Attributable costs for materials and equipment are apportioned to each block using the identified costs per block plus a proportion of aggregated estate-wide costs charged on the estate-wide percentage in the lease. These costs are charged to leaseholders in accordance with the percentage specified in the lease.

This SLA covers the following charges shown on the service charge invoice:

• Furnitureand Fittings
• Garchey Maintenance
• General Repairs
• Health, Safety & Security
• Heating
• Lift Maintenance
• Resident Staff
• Technical Services

Charges for Property Management services are calculated separately for each element and appear under the following headings on the service charge schedule. Apportionment is made on a block basis where appropriate and on an estate-wide basis for items not attributable to particular blocks (i.e. those carried out in service areas common to all blocks and in garden areas). Costs apportioned to each block are then charged to leaseholders in accordance with the percentage specified in the lease.

Furniture and fittings

Actual spend per block is recharged to leaseholders on a block basis.

Garchey maintenance

Costing of the service is based on:

• direct staff salary and on-costs plus;
• uniform costs;
• repair and maintenance costs; and
• electricity usage, insurance and water costs for Garchey sub-stations

A small percentage of the total costs are deducted to take account of system use by non-residential facilities. The overall cost of these to the estate is reduced on a pro rata basis. The charge to each block is made on the estate- wide percentages in the lease.

General repairs

Actual costs of works are charged to each block as appropriate and on an estate-wide basis for items common to all blocks

Fire, health, safety and security

Based on actual costs and apportioned on a block basis or estate percentage as appropriate.

Background heating supply

The costs are made up of metered electricity costs and standing charges.

Lift maintenance

The contract is charged according to the costs for each block, as are repairs not covered by the contract and insurance. Staff costs associated with lift maintenance are charged to the tower blocks on the basis of the estate-wide percentage in the lease. The remainder is charged to the terrace blocks and to the Landlords Account for public lifts, on a pro rata basis, depending on the number of lifts.

On-site engineers

A proportion of the costs of salaries, salary on-costs and office on-costs, accommodation, equipment and uniforms are apportioned in accordance with the percentages specified in the lease.

The costs of major works are project specific and are recharged directly to the appropriate leaseholders in accordance with statute and the conditions and percentages set out in the Lease.

Cost allocation is on the basis of the block allocation (for estate wide projects) and flat allocation (for individual block projects and the block’s proportion of estate wide projects).

This SLA covers the following charge shown on the service charge invoice:

Garden maintenance

The costs charged to the Service Charge Account relating to Grounds Maintenance are that proportion of the total costs of maintenance that relate to the gardens to which residents have exclusive use. 15% is charged to the City Corporation to reflect the public amenity that overlooking the privately-accessed gardens gives to the general public visiting the area.

The areas covered under the residents’ service charge account are:

• Waterfall shrub beds
• Wallside garden
• Thomas More garden
• Speed House garden
• Lambert Jones Mews garden
• Upper lake beds (‘igloos’)
• Fore Street/Andrewes House
• Barbican Wildlife garden