Guide · Service charges

Service-charge clearance and property-transfer readiness

An account statement, an agreed allocation between buyer and seller, and a developer’s clearance or NOC status are different things. Keep each visible so a payment made in one part of the transaction is not mistaken for completion of every requirement.

Identify the property account

Confirm the unit, relevant account reference and the organisation responsible for the charge or clearance. Request the current statement or written requirement for the actual property. Reconcile identifiers before relying on an amount.

An old statement may explain history without confirming the current position.

Separate three questions

The private allocation and the developer’s requirement should both be clear. Do not assume that agreement between the parties automatically updates an account or issues an NOC.

Ask how a payment will be recorded

Confirm the recipient, reference and accepted method with the responsible organisation. Keep the receipt and check whether the account or clearance status has updated as required. A payment instruction and a receipt are not the same as the final output needed for the transaction.

Use the payment-schedule guide to separate this charge from the property payment and conveyancing fee.

Connect the clearance to the NOC

Identify whether the clearance is an application requirement, an outstanding condition or an issue already resolved. Record any additional developer requirements separately. See the developer NOC guide.

If the parties dispute an amount

Preserve the statement, agreement and communications. Identify whether the disagreement is about the account itself, the period covered or allocation between the parties. Obtain appropriate advice where the issue affects contractual rights; do not simply subtract a disputed amount from an unrelated payment.

Reconfirm after a changed transfer date

Ask whether the account information or agreed adjustment needs updating for the revised date. Keep the current version in the file and make the responsible party’s next action explicit.

Conveyance coordinates the relevant procedural dependencies within the agreed service. It does not determine a disputed charge or override the responsible organisation’s records.