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Glite Dictionary
💰 Extra tip fee 🏢 Building fee
service charge

service charge

1 3.5
An amount of money residents pay regularly to cover shared building costs like cleaning and repairs
  • noun
  • /ˈsɜrvɪs tʃɑrdʒ/
  • UK
translation icon : gastos de comunidad
  • In our apartment complex, we pay a service charge each month that contributes to the upkeep of shared areas.
  • a monthly service charge

Examples

  • The young man told me that if I reconnected within 12 months, I'd be liable for past service charges.

    Blog text (23)

  • The landlord included a monthly service charge to cover maintenance costs, which is typically $50.

  • The homeowner's service charge was adjusted to reflect the increase in utility costs this year.

Synonyms

charge
vsservice charge
755 2.3

An amount of money paid for a service

is focused on recurring building service costs rather than any general fee
fixed charge
vsservice charge
  • Specialized
3.7

A regular payment that does not change when business changes, like rent or insurance

is paid regularly to cover building costs and can change with expenses

How Much

overcharge
4 4.6
service charge
  • UK
1 3.5

Surface Forms

service charge singular
service charges plural

Morphology

service + charge

The meaning (‘a fee paid for services provided for a building’) is directly and compositionally derived from 'service' (work/assistance) + 'charge' (fee). This is a common, literal noun phrase with clear cross‑linguistic equivalents, so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer the meaning.

Etymology

The phrase service charge for buildings comes from notices or bills that listed costs for shared help like lifts, cleaning and lighting as service, and the charge was the amount to pay. So it means 'regular money paid to cover building services'.