Service charge in Abuja estates, and why it varies so much
Two estates a kilometre apart, and double the charge
Two Abuja estates a kilometre apart, similar unit sizes, and service charges that differ by a factor of two. The reason is rarely that one is being greedy.
What drives the spread
Whether the estate carries its own water treatment or is on a mains supply that works.
Whether power is estate generated, hybrid, or genuinely grid dominant.
Road and drainage adoption. An unadopted estate maintains its own roads forever.
Occupancy. A half sold estate splits the same fixed costs between half the households.
That last one catches buyers in new developments repeatedly. The charge quoted at launch assumes full occupancy that may be years away, and the shortfall lands on whoever has already moved in.
Ask what the charge would be at today's occupancy, not at the occupancy in the brochure.
Questions worth asking
Who sets the charge, and can residents vote on it?
Is there a sinking fund, who holds it, and what is in it?
What were the actual accounts for the last two years?
What happens to a defaulting household, and how many are currently in default?
The last question is the most revealing and the least often asked. Widespread default in an estate means the paying residents are covering the rest, whether or not anyone says so out loud.