Camden arranges insurance cover for the buildings we own. You need to arrange cover for your contents. The cover provided by the Council is for the structure of your property and communal areas and includes accidental damage such as fire, storm damage, flooding and subsidence. The Insurance Policy and Summary of Cover includes important information about the building insurance. If Camden does not own the building the insurance will be arranged by the freeholder.

Insurance Policy (PDF)
Summary of Cover (PDF)

From April 2018, Arthur J Gallagher (AJG) will be the new buildings insurance provider. The Council is responsible for arranging buildings insurance for most leasehold properties under the lease terms. The new contract started on 1 April 2018 and will run for 5 years.

In the event of a claim

During normal office hours phone your insurer NIG on 0800 051 0233.

Outside normal office hours phone the loss adjuster Woodgate and Clark on 01732 520270.

Confirm you are a leaseholder of the London Borough of Camden and that cover is via Arthur J. Gallagher Insurance Brokers Limited and we will be able to advise and assist you.
If you are the victim of theft, riot or vandalism, tell the police within 24 hours of discovery and ask for an incident number or crime report number, then notify your insurers as soon as you can.

If you live in a building where the freehold is not owned by Camden you may have a different buildings insurer, please contact leaseholders services for more information.

Some important points about the buildings insurance

If anything happens in your home which might lead to a claim, you need to report the incident to the buildings insurer as soon as possible, but no more than 90 days after the date you should have known about the insured incident.

In an emergency take immediate action to protect your property from further damage by switching off the gas, electricity and water.

The policy excess is the first £350 of each and every claim. The Camden insurance team will refund the leaseholder the additional £100 on receipt of the policy excess receipt/invoice. Please send this to finance.insurance@camden.gov.uk. For claims relating to subsidence or landslip (for example, if the property moves due to land movement and results in damage to the building) this increases to £1,000. The excess applies per property.

If damage is caused by a problem with the council’s communal services or pipes and you believe the council is responsible, you can make a claim on the council’s public liability insurance. This is managed by Camden’s insurance section and you can ask for a claim form from the insurance team.

If the leasehold property is left unoccupied for more than 35 consecutive  days there is no cover if loss or damage occurs by escape of water or oil, malicious damage, theft or attempted theft, accidental damage or accidental breakage of glass.

Please note the above points relate only to Camden’s insurance policy where the council is the freeholder.

Your lease says you must pay your share of Camden’s costs in managing its leasehold portfolio. Information about what is included in the management charge and how it is calculated is in Camden’s Service Charge Guide for leaseholders.

The actual management charge for 2021/22 is £187.57.

A breakdown of this cost is below with a comparison for 2020/21

Leaseholder services
Rechargeable cost: £1,466,145
Cost per leaseholder 21/22: £149.77
Cost per leaseholder 20/21: £138.02

Housing management
Rechargeable cost: £7,257,813
Cost per leaseholder 21/22: £35.15
Cost per leaseholder 20/21: £31.01

Repairs
Rechargeable cost: £429,702
Cost per leaseholder 21/22: £2.67
Cost per leaseholder 20/21: £2.32

Total costs
Rechargeable cost: £9,153,660
Cost per leaseholder 21/22: £187.57
Cost per leaseholder 20/21: £171.35

The breakdowns from each service can be found below:

• Leaseholder Services 2021-22
• Housing Management 2021-22
• Repairs 2021-22

There are a number of ways you can pay your service charges.

Camden Account:  Register to view your account and make online payments at www.camden.gov.uk/camdenaccount  Please register using your full name as it appears on your service charge account.  You will also need your customer number as shown on the front of your invoice.

Standing Order:  We will send you a standing order form with your service charge invoice.  You can complete this form and send it to your bank. Alternatively, you can use the details on the form to set up your standing order using your personal telephone/internet banking.  You will need to set up a separate standing order for each invoice you receive. Payment must be made to Camden’s Bank Sort Code 503003 and Account Number 24312835.  Please quote your invoice number as the reference for each payment.

Pay Online:  It’s easy, quick and secure to make an online payment. You will need the invoice and your payment card details. Payments can be made by Visa, MasterCard, Visa Delta, Switch and Solo. To make a payment online log on to www.camden.gov.uk/pay and under the heading “Residential” select “Leaseholders service charges”. If you wish to you can pay using your personal internet banking. Payment should be made to Camden’s Bank Sort Code 503003 and Account Number 24312835. Please quote your invoice number as the reference for your payment.

Telephone Payment:  Telephone Camden’s payments line 020 7974 6104.  The automated service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  If you wish to pay for other services or you need to speak to an operator you can do so Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm.

Payments can be made by Visa, Mastercard, Visa Delta, Maestro, Electron and Solo. Please keep the reference number given as your proof of payment. Or, you can make payment using your personal telephone banking. You can ring your bank about the payment and request transfer to Camden’s Bank Sort Code 503003 and Account Number 24312835. Please quote your invoice number as the reference for your payment.

Payment by Post:  **Currently unavailable until further notice**

In Person:  Pay at the Post Office using the barcode on your invoice or reminder letter. Please ask for a receipt. You can pay up to £999.99 per transaction.

Payments can be made by debit card, cash or cheque (payable to ‘Post Office Counters Ltd’). Pay at shops with the PayPoint sign using the barcode on your invoice or reminder letter. Please ask for a receipt.  You can pay up to £200.00 per transaction and payment can be made by cash only.

Bank Giro Credit:  You can complete the bank giro credit form at the bottom of your invoice and take the whole invoice with your payment to any bank. Banks may charge you if you do not have an account with them.

Freeholder guide

If your property is on an estate managed by Camden, various services, repairs and maintenance may be carried out which your property will benefit, this may also include heating your property.  Please read the attached guide which explains the charges and your rights and responsibilities.

What Government financial support is there for residents on a Camden Heat Network/communal heating and hot water system, who are recharged by the Council?

All households with a domestic electricity connection are automatically eligible for the £400 grant under the Energy Bills Support Scheme (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/getting-the-energy-bills-support-scheme-discount), therefore all Camden residents will get this through their own electricity supplier. Households will not need to apply for the scheme, and in most cases the government expects electricity suppliers to apply the reduction automatically to bills from October 2022.

In addition to the domestic Energy Bills Support Scheme, Camden’s energy supply contracts are eligible for the Energy Bills Relief Scheme (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/energy-bill-relief-scheme-help-for-businesses-and-other-non-domestic-customers), as business/non-domestic customers. From October 2022 - March 2023, energy unit rate (pence/kWh) price caps will be applied to consumption for this period. Although information is limited since the government’s announcement on 21 September 2022, it is the Council’s understanding that if Camden’s October 2022 – March 2023 contract prices (pence/kWh only) are above the 21.1p and 7.5p for electricity and gas non-domestic caps, then Camden’s prices will be lowered to the capped prices. This will provide some benefit to Camden residents on a Camden Heat Network/communal heating and hot water system, who are recharged by the Council.

The Energy Bills Relief Scheme is expected to run for 6 months, with a government review after 3 months.

We will update our website if/when these details change.

Procurement of gas and electricity

Since 2011, Camden has  procured gas and electricity through a framework operated by LASER, a public-sector organisation which  purchases gas and electricity on the wholesale market for local authorities and other public bodies. Camden requires gas for its communal heating systems, and electricity for block and/or estate lighting, or other equipment (for example, lifts and door entry systems).  Wholesale prices are lower than retail prices. Also, the purchasing scheme allows the purchase of energy before the supply period, meaning energy can be purchased when prices are most favourable.

Camden intends to enter into a new contract with the framework, with a proposed start date in early 2023. Further information can be found on our consultation page.