FOI release

Service charges

Case reference FOI2026/00047

Received 10 January 2026

Published 14 January 2026

Request

1. The policy or procedure for checking the legitimacy of service charges where a resident is claiming benefits to cover them. 2. The number of housing benefit or universal credit claimants whose service charges are paid directly to their landlord, including where this is a single payment incorporating rents plus service charges. 3. The proportion of the above whose landlords are housing associations, if recorded.

Response

1. The policy or procedure for checking the legitimacy of service charges where a resident is claiming benefits to cover them.

A full tenancy agreement or breakdown of rent charges is requested for each housing benefit claim.

Once the detailed breakdown is provided, these will be looked at and checked for eligibility under the Housing Benefit Regulations 2006.

2. The number of housing benefit or universal credit claimants whose service charges are paid directly to their landlord, including where this is a single payment incorporating rents plus service charges. 251 current HB claims where the payment is being made to the landlord and eligible service charge has been recorded against your rent costs frame. The number could be higher, but as the eligible service charge field is not mandatory there is no physical requirement to record these

3. The proportion of the above whose landlords are housing associations, if recorded.. Of the 251 claims, 198 have their landlord recorded as being a Housing Association

Documents

There are no documents for this release.

This is Tunbridge Wells Borough Council's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.