Rent Charge

The Apri 2019 Annual Rent Charge demand – payable to the Enfield Island Village Trust (EIVT) by all Island residents – has been issued and equates to £250 per household. This is in addition to what you pay for Council Tax, Ground Rent and Service Charge. Note: Ground Rent and Service Charge are only levied on people who own flats – not people who own houses!

Why are you required to pay it?

Enfield Island is a patchwork of responsibilities but in general the EIVT has been formed to ensure that certain communal aspects, such as the ecology and play areas, the central piazza, canal arm and basin and the central Public Open Space area, which runs from the bus stop at Brunswick Road along Manton Road up to the ecology area by George Lovell Drive, are all maintained to a high standard for the benefit of residents.

The EIVT administers an estate Rentcharge, under the 1977 Rentcharges Act covering Enfield Island Village, which provides communal funding by local homeowners for the activities listed in the rentcharge document. An account of rentcharge costs is provided to affected homeowners each year. The rentcharge is payable in advance, within 21 days of the demand, unless you are paying by direct debit or standing order.

The rentcharge is payable by all residential units within an area covering all of Enfield Island Village except for that part of Government Row that was built before the redevelopment of the Royal Small Arms site. It is payable by freeholders of residential houses and flats, unless there is in place a lease of seven years or more, in which case it is payable by the leaseholder. Commercial premises and properties, managed by the Royal Small Arms (RSA) Island Village Ltd, pay a negotiated sum.

The requirement to pay an annual rentcharge should have been explained to you by your solicitor when buying the freehold or leasehold. If in doubt, the land registry should show whether the rentcharge applies to your property.