Leaseholders in UK apartment blocks built more than 25 years ago and standing at least six storeys tall now face average annual service charges of £7,300, a figure reflecting decades of deferred maintenance and crumbling infrastructure. Older high-rise residential buildings across Britain have seen years of underfunding as freeholders trimmed repair budgets.

The charge covers maintenance, insurance, and structural work. For leaseholders on fixed incomes, this creates serious affordability pressure. Many older blocks built during 1960s and 1970s housing pushes now show visible signs of neglect — crumbling facades, failing lifts, and outdated wiring that demand costly remediation.

Rising charges signal a broader reckoning for the UK residential property market. Freeholders can no longer postpone repairs without facing legal action from tenants. The £7,300 figure exposes how aging housing stock passes deferred costs directly onto individual residents.