In line with the New Homes Quality Code, Taylor Wimpey aims to provide clear and transparent information about the costs associated with owning your home before you reserve.
Modern developments often include landscaped open spaces, play areas, drainage systems, ecological features, roads, footpaths and other shared infrastructure.
Some of these features are not adopted or maintained by the local authority and therefore require ongoing management and maintenance funded through a service charge. This helps ensure the development remains safe, attractive and well maintained for all residents.
A Management Company is responsible for maintaining communal areas and infrastructure that are not maintained by a local authority or other public body.
The Management Company normally appoints a professional managing agent to arrange maintenance, inspections, health and safety compliance, budgeting and customer support on behalf of homeowners.
This varies between developments. Some roads are adopted by the local highway authority and become publicly maintained. Others may remain private and be maintained through the Management Company. The position for your home will be explained during the sales process and detailed within your legal documentation.
Some homes include private shared drives. Where these are maintained by the Management Company, they will appear as a separate line within the service charge budget.
Where private drives are not included, this will be clearly stated so there is no confusion about what you are paying for.
Where roads are intended to become publicly maintained, adoption does not happen immediately.
Roads must first not be used by construction traffic, be completed to the required standard, and approved by the local highway authority. This process can continue after residents have moved in and often takes several years after the last home is built.
In some cases, yes.
Where roads remain under private maintenance arrangements before adoption, associated maintenance costs may form part of the estate budget. Once adoption takes place, responsibility for future maintenance transfers to the highway authority.
The service charge may contribute towards maintaining:
- Landscaped open spaces
- Play areas
- Sustainable drainage systems and attenuation ponds
- Ecological and biodiversity areas
- Private roads and footpaths
- Estate lighting
- Inspections, health and safety checks, and estate management services
The services applicable to your development will be detailed within your service-charge budget.
Each property contributes a fair proportion of the overall estate costs in accordance with the apportionment set out within the property's legal documentation.
Yes.
The budget is reviewed annually and costs may increase or decrease due to inflation, supplier pricing, utility costs or changes in maintenance requirements. You will receive an updated budget each year explaining any significant changes.
You will receive a clear budget showing the services provided, the estimated costs and your contribution.
This information is provided to support informed decision-making and reflects the New Homes Quality Code's requirement for clear, accurate and transparent customer information.
To keep things simple and consistent:
- An initial payment is collected at completion and this is a pro-rata payment based on when you become the owner
- The remaining balance is collected in line with the estate’s payment schedule
- Once the development is complete and the Management Company takes full responsibility, future payments follow the standard annual cycle
Your Sales Executive will confirm the exact payment timings for your development.
On many developments, homeowners are able to become members of the Management Company once the development is established and ownership arrangements are transferred in accordance with the company's governing documents.
Your service charge becomes payable from the date you complete on your home, even while the wider development is still being built.
During this interim period:
- Some areas may not yet be handed over to the Management Company for maintenance
You will still pay the service charge as normal - Any areas not yet under management will be reflected in the actual expenditure when the annual accounts are prepared
- This ensures you only ultimately pay for services that were genuinely delivered
This approach is standard across new developments and ensures fairness and transparency for all homeowners.
The obligation to contribute to estate management costs remains with the property. Your solicitor will provide the buyer with the relevant management information, budgets and accounts as part of the sales process.
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