Struggling to Pay a Service Charge or Major Works Bill?
A large service charge or major works bill can be worrying. This page points you to free, independent help. It isn't advice on whether or when to pay.
Fact-checked against the England Section 20 / service charge framework · Last reviewed 27 October 2026
New to Section 20? Start with Section 20 Notices Explained, our overview guide.
Get advice before missing a payment
Not paying a service charge can be treated as a breach of your lease. Depending on your lease, that can lead to extra administration charges, court action to recover the debt and, in serious cases, steps towards ending your lease (forfeiture). Raising a question or a dispute about a bill doesn’t by itself pause your payment deadline. If you’re thinking about not paying, or you’ve already missed a payment, get advice first.
The Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE) says that if you disagree with a charge, it’s usually best to pay under protest and then challenge it. Whether that is right for you is a question for an adviser who knows your circumstances.
Ask your landlord about payment options
If your landlord is a council or housing association, it will usually offer a payment plan to help spread the cost of major works. A private landlord or managing agent may offer payment plans or loans, but isn’t obliged to. Asking is worth doing early, and it helps to ask in writing and keep a copy of the reply.
If your council may still be your landlord, our council leaseholder directory lists each English council’s leasehold contact page.
Free, independent debt advice
If you’re finding a bill hard to afford, or you’re dealing with other debts as well, free and independent help is available from:
- GOV.UK’s free debt advice page, which explains where to find a free adviser
- MoneyHelper, the government-backed money guidance service
- Citizens Advice
For questions about the service charge itself, LEASE gives free initial advice to leaseholders in England. The links are in the official sources list below.
If the bill is for cladding or fire safety work
The Building Safety Act 2022 introduced protections for some leaseholders against the cost of fixing unsafe cladding and other historic safety defects. Whether they apply depends on the building and your own circumstances. Our building safety and cladding guide explains more, and this kind of case needs specialist advice.
Where a Defence Pack fits
A Defence Pack organises your notice, bills and other documents into a chronology, a cost table and a list of questions to ask. It can make a conversation with your landlord or an adviser quicker and clearer. It doesn’t advise on whether to pay, and it doesn’t change any payment deadline.
Official sources
- LEASE: If you do not pay your service charge (lease-advice.org)
- LEASE: Paying for major works (lease-advice.org)
- Get free debt advice (GOV.UK)
- MoneyHelper: Dealing with debt (moneyhelper.org.uk)
- Citizens Advice: Debt and money (citizensadvice.org.uk)
- Building safety leaseholder protections: guidance for leaseholders (GOV.UK)
Links checked 27 October 2026. These are the primary sources this guide summarises - they are not legal advice about your own lease or notice.
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