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Block and property managers: 56 checked facts and figures, with sources
Each entry is the fact one of our guides rests on: a rule, a date, a price or a figure we worked out, with where it came from. Quote any of them; a link to the guide lets your reader check the working.
Section 20 and major works
We wrote this questionnaire of 4 questions and 8 outcomes from the rules set out in 5 of our guides and the sources each outcome names. Two of the eight outcomes need no consultation and two lead to a dispensation application; the other four each name the schedule or part of the 2003 Regulations that applies. Only the first question is asked on every route.
Source: Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, sections 19 and 20ZA(2); Service Charges (Consultation Requirements) (England) Regulations 2003, regulation 3; read 2 October 2026; Service Charges (Consultation Requirements) (England) Regulations 2003, regulations 2(2), 4 and 6, read 2 October 2026; Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, sections 20 and 20ZA; First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) Fees Order 2013, Schedule 1, item 2.2; read 2 October 2026; Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, section 20ZA; 2003 Regulations, regulation 2; First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) Fees Order 2013, Schedule 1, item 2.2; read 2 October 2026; Service Charges (Consultation Requirements) (England) Regulations 2003, regulations 2, 5(2) and 7(4)(a), Schedule 2 and Schedule 4 Part 1, read 2 October 2026; Service Charges (Consultation Requirements) (England) Regulations 2003, regulation 7(1) and Schedule 3, read 2 October 2026; Service Charges (Consultation Requirements) (England) Regulations 2003, regulations 4 and 5(1) and Schedule 1, read 2 October 2026; Service Charges (Consultation Requirements) (England) Regulations 2003, regulations 6 and 7(4)(b) and Schedule 4 Part 2, read 2 October 2026; each outcome names its source, and the linked guide shows the working.
We ran a £48,000 roof job across 24 equal shares through the regulations: £2,000 a flat, so consultation is required, and without it the recoverable sum falls to £6,000 (24 × £250), leaving £42,000 with the RMC.
Source: Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 ss 20 and 20ZA; Service Charges (Consultation Requirements) (England) Regulations 2003, regs 2, 4 and 6 and Schedules 1 and 4; all read on legislation.gov.uk 2026-10-01. Our test is saved in tests/warden/tools-check.txt.
Free tool: Section 20 checker: does this job need consultation, and what are the dates?
The regulations define the relevant period as 30 days beginning with the date of the notice, so a notice of intention dated 6 October 2026 closes for observations on 4 November, not 5 November; a statement of estimates issued on 5 November closes on 4 December, and the earliest lawful contract date is 5 December.
Source: Service Charges (Consultation Requirements) (England) Regulations 2003, regulation 2 and Schedules 1 and 4; Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 ss 20 and 20ZA; legislation.gov.uk, read 2026-10-01.
Full guide: The Section 20 consultation process, stage by stage, with what each notice must say
An application to dispense with Section 20 consultation goes on form Leasehold 5 and costs £200 to issue plus £300 if a hearing is listed (fees in force from 13 July 2026). On a £48,000 roof job across 24 equal shares, that £500 stands against the £42,000 the £250 cap would leave with the client.
Source: Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 ss 20, 20ZA, 20D and 27A (legislation.gov.uk); First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) Fees Order 2013, Schedule 1 as substituted on 13 July 2026 (legislation.gov.uk); form Leasehold 5, version 07.26 (gov.uk); Daejan Investments Ltd v Benson [2013] UKSC 14 (National Archives, Find Case Law); all read 2026-10-01.
We wrote this list of 26 steps in 6 stages from the rules set out in 7 of our guides and the official pages each step names. The list has three waiting or reply periods fixed by the regulations, of 30 days, 30 days and 21 days, and one limit fixed by the Act, the 18 months for the demand. From a first notice dated 6 October 2026 the earliest contract date is 5 December 2026.
Source: Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, section 20; Service Charges (Consultation Requirements) (England) Regulations 2003, regulation 6; 2003 Regulations, regulation 6; The leases; Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, section 20; 2003 Regulations, regulation 4 and Schedule 1; 2003 Regulations, Schedules 2 and 3; 2003 Regulations, regulation 2 and Schedule 4 Part 2; Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, section 20ZA; First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) fees from 13 July 2026; Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, sections 20D and 20ZA(5A); 2003 Regulations, Schedule 4 Part 2; 2003 Regulations, regulation 2; 2003 Regulations, regulation 2; RICS Service Charge Residential Management Code, 4th edition; Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, section 20(1); Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, section 21B; Landlord and Tenant Act 1987, sections 47 and 48; Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, section 20B; each step names its source, and the linked guide shows the working.
Free tool: Section 20 consultation checklist for major works: from the first notice to the contract
Service charges and arrears
Under the £350 sum and three-year period, a flat owing £350.00 (4 quarters of £87.50) cannot be forfeited, one owing £437.50 (5 quarters) crosses the sum, a £360 balance including a £60 late charge counts as £300 and fails, and a £180 charge due 25 March 2023 was 3 years 208 days old on 19 October 2026 and so meets the period test.
Source: legislation.gov.uk, Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 section 167 ("failure to pay small amount for short period": no right of re-entry or forfeiture for unpaid rent, service charges or administration charges unless the unpaid amount exceeds the prescribed sum or includes an amount payable for more than the prescribed period; sum capped at £500; default charges deducted; pending amendments listed) and section 168 (no section 146 notice until a tribunal, court or arbitral determination, or admission; 14-day wait after a determination). legislation.gov.uk, The Rights of Re-entry and Forfeiture (Prescribed Sum and Period) (England) Regulations 2004 (£350; three years; long leases of dwellings in England). Read 19 October 2026.
Full guide: Can a landlord forfeit a lease over service charge arrears? £350 or three years, worked
For a cost incurred on 10 March 2025, the 18-month period starting that day runs to the end of 9 September 2026, so on 16 October 2026 a demand is outside it. A written notice served on or before 9 September 2026 would have kept the cost recoverable. Ten flats each owing a 10% share of a £4,800 roofing invoice puts £480 per flat, £4,800 in all, at stake.
Source: legislation.gov.uk, Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, section 20B (costs incurred more than 18 months before a demand is served are not payable; exception where, within 18 months beginning with the date the costs were incurred, the tenant was notified in writing that the costs had been incurred and that he would subsequently be required under the terms of his lease to contribute to them by a service charge). Read 16 October 2026.
We worked the window for a ground rent due on the 25 March 2027 quarter day. Section 166 needs the payment date to fall between 30 and 60 days after the notice is given, so the notice must be given between 24 January 2027 (60 days before) and 23 February 2027 (30 days before). A notice given on 26 February, three days late, leaves only 27 days, so the earliest valid payment date moves to 28 March 2027. For a block of 40 flats on quarterly ground rent that is 160 notices a year, each with its own window.
Source: Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 section 166 (notice to be given before rent is payable), legislation.gov.uk, read 2026-10-06; Landlord and Tenant (Notice of Rent) (England) Regulations 2004, SI 2004/3096 (prescribed form and particulars), legislation.gov.uk, read 2026-10-06.
For a service charge application the fees are £114 to apply and £227 for a hearing, £341 in all, against £300 before (£100 and £200), a rise of 13.7%; the standard tier is £500. In a 12-flat block where every leaseholder applied separately, the fees alone would come to £4,092 (12 x £341), against £341 for one joint application.
Source: GOV.UK, Court and tribunal fees: updates from July 2026 (Ministry of Justice news story), read 5 October 2026; First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) Fees (Amendment) Order 2026, as listed on legislation.gov.uk and in Hansard, 27 April 2026. The earlier £100 and £200 fees come from secondary guidance and were not confirmed on a primary page.
We read the commencement notes for sections 42A and 42B of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1987 on legislation.gov.uk on 5 October 2026. Both were inserted by section 156 of the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 and brought into force in England on 26 July 2002 only "in so far as they confer power to make regulations" (SI 2002/1912, art. 2(c)); otherwise they are marked prospective. So the duty to hold trust money in a designated account, the leaseholder's right to withhold for breach of it, and the level 4 fine for failing to comply have all been on the statute book for 24 years without applying to anyone in England.
Source: Landlord and Tenant Act 1987 ss 42, 42A and 42B with their annotations; Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 (Commencement No. 1, Savings and Transitional Provisions) (England) Order 2002, SI 2002/1912, article 2(c); all on legislation.gov.uk, read 2026-10-05.
We set the five kinds of information ICOBS 6A.7 requires brokers to give on a multi-occupancy buildings policy against the summary a landlord must supply under paragraph 2 of the Schedule to the 1985 Act; the statutory summary covers only part of one of the five (insured amounts, insurer and risks covered) and none of the commission, pricing, quotes or conflicts items. On a £24,000 premium shared equally by 24 flats, a total commission of £4,800 disclosed in cash terms is £200 of each flat's £1,000 share.
Source: Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, Schedule, paragraphs 2, 3, 4 and 6 (legislation.gov.uk); FCA Handbook ICOBS 6A.7, rules 6A.7.3, 6A.7.5, 6A.7.6, 6A.7.8, 6A.7.9, 6A.7.11, 6A.7.14 and 6A.7.18, in force from 31 December 2023; Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 ss 59 and 60 (legislation.gov.uk, shown as not in force); all read 2026-10-03.
Of the four statutory tests, only one is fatal to the money: a cost incurred more than 18 months before the demand, with no written notification in time, is lost under section 20B; the other three make the sum "not due" or withholdable until the demand is re-served correctly.
Source: Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 ss 20B and 21B; Landlord and Tenant Act 1987 ss 47 and 48; Service Charges (Summary of Rights and Obligations, and Transitional Provision) (England) Regulations 2007; all read on legislation.gov.uk 2026-10-01.
For a 24-flat block with a 31 March year end, the first cost of the year must be demanded or notified by 30 September the following year under section 20B, a requested section 21 summary is due by 30 September and must be accountant-certified, so accounts out by 30 September satisfy both without a separate diary entry.
Source: Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 ss 20B, 21 (as in force, version of 17 December 1996) and 22; RICS Service Charge Residential Management Code, 4th edition, effective 7 April 2026 (rics.org); all read 2026-10-01.
We built the final letter to state the two limits a leaseholder's solicitor would raise first: forfeiture is unavailable for £350 or less unless outstanding over three years (SI 2004/3086), and an undetermined, unadmitted service charge cannot found forfeiture at all (section 81 of the Housing Act 1996); the letter says so rather than implying otherwise.
Source: Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 s 167 and the Rights of Re-entry and Forfeiture (Prescribed Sum and Period) (England) Regulations 2004; Housing Act 1996 s 81; Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 s 21B; CLRA 2002 Schedule 11 (administration charges); legislation.gov.uk, read 2026-10-01.
Section 21 of the 1985 Act, as in force, does not use the word audit; it requires a summary that "shall be certified by a qualified accountant" as a fair summary sufficiently supported by accounts, receipts and other documents, and only where the charges are payable by tenants of more than four dwellings and a summary has been requested.
Source: Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 ss 21 (version in force, dated 17 December 1996 on legislation.gov.uk) and 22; RICS Service Charge Residential Management Code, 4th edition, effective 7 April 2026; read 2026-10-01.
Under section 22 a leaseholder has six months from obtaining the cost summary to ask to inspect the documents behind it; the landlord must open the file within one month of the request and keep it open for two months, free of charge. Failing without reasonable excuse is a summary offence with a fine of up to level 4, which is £2,500.
Source: Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 ss 21 (version in force, dated 17 December 1996), 22, 23, 25 and 27A; Sentencing Act 2020 s 122 (standard scale); UK GDPR Articles 12, 12A and 15; Tribunal Procedure (First-tier Tribunal) (Property Chamber) Rules 2013, rule 18; all on legislation.gov.uk, read 2026-10-01.
On the fees GOV.UK showed on 1 October 2026, a county court claim for £2,400 of service charge arrears costs £115 to issue and £181 for a small claims hearing, £296 in all. Nine claims in a year totalling £24,160, two of them heard and one enforced by a charging order, come to £1,991 in court fees.
Source: Make a court claim for money, court fees (gov.uk); Civil court fees (EX50), last updated 13 July 2026 (gov.uk); First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) Fees Order 2013, article 5 and Schedule 1 as substituted on 13 July 2026, Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 s 176A and Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 s 27A (legislation.gov.uk); Practice Direction 45, Tables 2 and 3 (justice.gov.uk); all read 2026-10-01.
On 1 October 2026 a landlord can put litigation costs on the service charge only where the lease allows it, and a leaseholder can apply under section 20C to keep them out. In Kensquare v Boakye [2021] EWCA Civ 1725 a clause covering professional advisers "in connection with the management of the Building" did not reach litigation costs. Section 62 of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024, which would make the landlord apply for permission, is not in force.
Source: Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 ss 19 and 20C; Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 Schedule 11 paragraph 5A; Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 ss 62 and 63 (shown as prospective); First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) Fees Order 2013 Schedule 1 (all legislation.gov.uk); Kensquare Ltd v Boakye [2021] EWCA Civ 1725 (National Archives, Find Case Law); government response to the consultation on leaseholder protections over charges and services, 15 July 2026 (gov.uk); all read 2026-10-01.
In a block with a £48,000 budget and a £6,000 reserve contribution, a flat with a 4.5% share pays £2,430 a year, £1,215 on each half-yearly demand. If 4.5% is the largest share in the block, works costing more than £5,555.56 take that leaseholder over £250 and need Section 20 consultation first.
Source: Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 section 20 and the Service Charges (Consultation Requirements) (England) Regulations 2003 (SI 2003/1987) for the £250 and £100 thresholds, read 2026-10-01; the arithmetic is our own, checked by hand. The test record is in tests/warden/tools-check.txt.
Under the Landlord and Tenant (Covenants) Act 1995, for a lease granted on or after 1 January 1996 the seller is released from the tenant covenants from the assignment but stays liable for sums that fell due before it, and the buyer has no liability for any time before it. A former leaseholder who is still bound can be made to pay a later service charge only if the landlord serves a section 17 notice within six months beginning with the date the charge became due.
Source: Landlord and Tenant (Covenants) Act 1995 ss 1, 3, 5, 11, 17, 23, 24 and 27; Landlord and Tenant (Covenants) Act 1995 (Commencement) Order 1995, SI 1995/2963; Landlord and Tenant (Covenants) Act 1995 (Notices) Regulations 1995, SI 1995/2964, regulation 2; all on legislation.gov.uk, read 2026-10-01.
We wrote this list of 25 steps in 5 stages from the rules set out in 8 of our guides and the official pages each step names. Four of the 25 steps deal with the 18-month limit in section 20B, the one failure on the list that loses money outright. The other two demand failures on the list, a missing summary of rights and a missing landlord's name and address, are cured by serving the demand again.
Source: The lease; Landlord and Tenant Act 1985; The lease; Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, section 19; RICS Service Charge Residential Management Code, 4th edition, section 5.13; Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, section 20B; Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, section 22; Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, sections 21 and 28; Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, section 21; the lease; Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, section 20B(2); RICS Service Charge Residential Management Code, 4th edition, sections 5.13 and 7.4 to 7.6; Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, section 21B; The lease; Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, section 21B; Summary of Rights and Obligations Regulations 2007; Landlord and Tenant Act 1987, sections 47 and 48; Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, section 21; Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, sections 22 and 25; Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, sections 21 and 22; UK GDPR, Articles 12 and 15; The lease; our arithmetic; Our arithmetic on the example budget; Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, section 20; Service Charges (Consultation Requirements) (England) Regulations 2003; Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024, Part 4 (uncommenced on 1 October 2026); Housing Act 1996, section 81; Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002, section 167; SI 2004/3086; each step names its source, and the linked guide shows the working.
Free tool: Service charge year-end checklist: accounts, balancing charge and next year's budget
Building safety
Sign positions are floors x (stairways + lift lobbies per floor). A 10-floor block with 1 stairway and 1 lift has 10 x 2 = 20 positions; a 12-floor block with 2 stairways and 1 lift has 12 x 3 = 36; a 20-floor block with 2 stairways and 2 lifts has 20 x 4 = 80. Together that is 136 positions across the three blocks and block B has 16 more positions than block A, an 80 per cent rise, from two extra floors and one extra stairway.
Source: legislation.gov.uk, The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 (SI 2022/547), regulation 8, "Wayfinding signage". Read 27 October 2026.
With an invented house rule of 12 months, six blocks assessed on 14 February 2023 (1,344 days before 20 October 2026), 2 September 2024 (778), 3 November 2025 (351), 30 March 2026 (204), 18 June 2021 (1,950) and 20 January 2025 (638) give four overdue (979, 413, 1,585 and 273 days past 365), one due in 14 days, and one current by the clock but needing review anyway because a ground-floor unit became a flat after its assessment: five of six blocks need action today.
Source: legislation.gov.uk, The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 article 9 (risk assessment: made by the responsible person, suitable and sufficient, reviewed regularly and where there is reason to suspect it is no longer valid or after significant change, record made as soon as practicable, no size threshold stated on the page). legislation.gov.uk, Fire Safety Act 2021 section 1 (for a building with two or more sets of domestic premises the Order covers the structure, external walls and common parts, and the doors between flats and common parts). GOV.UK, Residents' guide to fire safety in blocks of flats (responsible person usually the landlord, freeholder, managing agent or housing provider; assessment of the common parts; "reviewed regularly, especially after changes to the building"; no fixed interval given). Read 20 October 2026.
A check due on Tuesday 10 March 2026 and done 2 months early on Saturday 10 January 2026 leaves the next due date at 10 March 2027, not 10 January 2027. If a manager wrongly rolls the cycle from the done date each year, the date slips 2 months a year, so after 5 years it is 10 months earlier than the real date. A tenant's copy is due by Saturday 7 February 2026, 28 days after a 10 January check. A managing agent with 12 appliances holds at least 24 records, 2 each.
Source: HSE, "Landlords' responsibilities: gas safety" index, "Gas safety checks: who needs them" and "Gas safety check records" (checks every year on each gas appliance and flue the landlord is responsible for and provides for tenants; the record names the appliance and location, the engineer, date, address and landlord, defects and action; keep records at least 2 years; copy to tenants within 28 days; to new tenants before they move in; a check up to 2 months early keeps the original timescale; keep early-check records until 2 further checks). Read 14 October 2026. The pages read did not mention communal areas or shared boilers.
A 24-flat block of 5 floors with 3 communal fire doors a floor has 15 communal doors. At every 3 months that is 15 x 4 = 60 checks a year, and 24 entrance doors at every 12 months is 24, so 84 recorded door checks. A block of 11 metres or lower is outside both duties, though the information duties still apply.
Source: legislation.gov.uk, The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, regulations 9 and 10 (instructions displayed and given to residents, at least every 12 months; fire door information to residents; for buildings above 11 metres with two or more sets of domestic premises, use best endeavours to check flat entrance fire doors at least every 12 months and check communal fire doors at least every 3 months). Read 11 October 2026.
HSE's three figures are hot water stored at 60C or more, hot water at the outlet at 50C within 1 minute, and cold water below 20C. A block with a hot water store, a cold tank and four sample outlets has 6 check points. If each is read monthly (our assumption for the count, not an HSE interval), that is 72 readings a year per block and 720 across ten blocks, each one a figure that needs a date, a name and a reaction when it is out of range.
Source: HSE, Legionnaires' disease: What you must do (employers and people in control of premises, including landlords, must identify and assess sources of risk, manage and control them, and keep records); HSE, Legionella and landlords' responsibilities (a landlord is anyone who rents out property under a lease or licence shorter than 7 years; the law does not prescribe annual or two-yearly review; no legal requirement for a legionella test certificate); HSE, Hot and cold water systems (hot water stored at least 60C, reaching 50C within 1 minute at outlets, cold water below 20C where possible). All read 8 October 2026.
A lift last examined on 10 March 2026 was due by 10 September 2026; examining it on 30 September leaves a 204-day gap, 20 days past the six-month limit. A block with two passenger lifts needs at least 4 thorough examinations a year and 20 across a five-year service charge plan, each with its own report to keep and check.
Source: legislation.gov.uk, Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (SI 1998/2307), regulation 9(3) (thorough examination of lifting equipment for lifting persons at least every 6 months, other lifting equipment every 12 months, or an examination scheme); HSE, Thorough examinations and inspections of lifting equipment (what an examination is, report contents, reporting defects of immediate danger to the enforcing authority). Both read 7 October 2026.
We counted the register for a worked block. The HSE lists six kinds of common part (foyers and corridors, lifts and lift-shafts, staircases, roof spaces, gardens and yards, outhouses and garages). For a five-storey block with a corridor, a staircase and a lift landing on each floor, plus a roof space, a lift motor room, a bin store and a row of garages, that is 5 × 3 = 15 floor-level locations plus 4 more, or 19 places the survey must cover and the register must give a condition for. Any review of the register has to revisit all 19 before a contractor is booked.
Source: Health and Safety Executive, "The duty to manage asbestos in buildings: Check if you have the duty to manage asbestos" (page updated 1 March 2021); Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 (SI 2012/632), regulation 4, on legislation.gov.uk; read 6 October 2026. The block is our worked example. Not legal advice.
We wrote this questionnaire of 4 questions and 7 outcomes from the rules set out in 3 of our guides and the sources each outcome names. Five of the seven outcomes follow from the height answer. The evacuation strategy is asked only for a block over 11 metres but under 18 metres and seven storeys, and there it alone decides whether the 2025 evacuation plan rules apply.
Source: Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 (SI 2022/547), regulation 1(3); Building Safety Act 2022, section 117(2); GOV.UK, Register a high-rise residential building; all read 2 October 2026; Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, regulations 3, 9 and 10; Building Safety Act 2022, section 117(2); GOV.UK, Register a high-rise residential building; all read 2 October 2026; Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, regulations 3 to 11; Fire Safety (Residential Evacuation Plans) (England) Regulations 2025, regulation 3; GOV.UK, Register a high-rise residential building (£251, 28 days); Building Safety Act 2022, section 117; all read 2 October 2026; Fire Safety (Residential Evacuation Plans) (England) Regulations 2025 (SI 2025/797), regulation 3; Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, regulations 9 and 10; Building Safety Act 2022, section 117; all read 2 October 2026; Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, regulations 9 and 10; Fire Safety (Residential Evacuation Plans) (England) Regulations 2025, regulation 3; Building Safety Act 2022, section 117(2); all read 2 October 2026; Building Safety Act 2022, section 117(2) and (3); Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, regulations 9 and 10; both read 2 October 2026; Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, regulations 1, 9 and 10; Building Safety Act 2022, section 117(2); both read 2 October 2026; each outcome names its source, and the linked guide shows the working.
Free tool: Which fire and building safety duties apply to this block? Four questions to the list
A building of 12 metres with 2 flats is a relevant building for the leaseholder protections but not a higher-risk building, so its landlord owes the cost caps and certificates but owes the Regulator no registration, no safety case report and no resident engagement strategy; at 18 metres or 7 storeys all of those start.
Source: GOV.UK guidance on the criteria for higher-risk buildings in occupation, registering a high-rise residential building, the safety case report, preparing a resident engagement strategy, and leaseholder protections (relevant buildings and caps); all read 2026-10-01; Building Safety Act 2022 s117(3), read on legislation.gov.uk 2026-10-02.
The Fire Safety (Residential Evacuation Plans) (England) Regulations 2025 came into force on 6 April 2026. They cover blocks of at least 18 metres or seven storeys, and blocks over 11 metres that have a simultaneous evacuation strategy; a block between 11 and 18 metres on stay put is outside them. Each resident's assessment and the building evacuation plan must be reviewed within 12 months.
Source: Fire Safety (Residential Evacuation Plans) (England) Regulations 2025, SI 2025/797, regulations 1 to 13 (legislation.gov.uk); Residential PEEPs factsheet and statutory Guidance for Responsible Persons (gov.uk, both updated 6 April 2026); all read 2026-10-01.
In a block of flats above 11 metres in England, regulation 10 of the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 requires communal fire doors to be checked at least every 3 months and flat entrance doors at least every 12 months on a best endeavours basis, with a record of every attempt to gain access. A 40-flat block with 12 communal fire doors needs 88 door checks a year.
Source: Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, SI 2022/547, regulations 1, 3 and 10 (legislation.gov.uk); Fact sheet: Fire doors (regulation 10) (gov.uk, last updated 24 July 2023); both read 2026-10-01.
Leasehold law changes
Six invented blocks of 36, 40, 28, 96, 30 and 24 flats (254 in all) tested against regulation 3 give four that need the record (B, C, D and E, covering 40 + 28 + 96 + 30 = 194 flats) and two that do not (A and F, 36 + 24 = 60 flats). One block is 0.1 metres short on height, and a mezzanine of 260 square metres on a largest storey of 500 square metres (52 per cent) tips a six-storey block into the seven-storey test.
Source: legislation.gov.uk, Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 (SI 2022/547), regulation 3 "Meaning of high-rise residential building" and regulation 5 "Design and materials of external walls". Read 30 October 2026.
Four invented blocks of 24, 48, 12 and 90 flats, one household per flat, need 174 copies for one annual round. If 6, 14, 2 and 25 households move in during the year, that adds up to 47 move-in copies, so at most 221 sets (30, 62, 14 and 115 per block). The current 12-month period, counted from 23 January 2023, runs from 23 January 2026 to 22 January 2027, which leaves 85 days from 29 October 2026.
Source: legislation.gov.uk, Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 (SI 2022/547), regulation 9 "Information to residents". Read 29 October 2026.
A twelve-flat block demands £3,000 per flat in advance, £36,000 in all. If actual costs are £31,440 the year-end credit is £4,560, or £380 per flat on equal shares. If costs are £39,000 the shortfall is £3,000, or £250 per flat. If £2,400 of the £39,000 is not reasonably incurred, the recoverable figure is £36,600, the shortfall £600 and the share £50 per flat.
Source: legislation.gov.uk, Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 section 19, "Limitation of service charges: reasonableness". Read 28 October 2026.
With ground rent due on 25 December, four invented assignments on 20 October, 26 October, 1 November and 10 December 2026 give notice deadlines of 25 December 2026, 26 December 2026, 1 January 2027 and 10 February 2027. The 20 October sale is 66 days before the rent day, so the rent day governs; the other three fall within two months of it, so the two-month date governs. A notice sent on 25 December for the 1 November sale leaves the old landlord liable for 54 days; one sent on 1 January leaves 61 days.
Source: legislation.gov.uk, Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 section 3, "Duty to inform tenant of assignment of landlord's interest". Read 26 October 2026.
Six invented requests reach a managing agent on the six Mondays from 2 November to 7 December 2026, so the 21-day reply dates are 23 November, 30 November, 7 December, 14 December, 21 December and 28 December 2026. An agent that answers only one request a fortnight, starting on 23 November, replies to request 2 seven days late and to request 3 fourteen days late. Separately, a policy that wants notice of a claim within 3 months is treated, for a claim notified by the tenant on 1 March 2027, as allowing 6 months, which runs to 1 September 2027 rather than 1 June 2027, a gap of 92 days.
Source: legislation.gov.uk, Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 section 30A, "Rights of tenants with respect to insurance", and the Schedule it brings into effect (Schedule 3 on the latest revised version), paragraphs 1 to 9. Read 24 October 2026.
For an invented block of twelve flats where each quarterly demand is £50 ground rent, £450 service charge and £60 administration charge (£560), a year of four demands is £26,880 for the block. If the first two quarterly demands leave out the landlord's name and address, £510 of each £560 is treated as not due: 2 x 12 x £510 = £12,240 not due, while 2 x 12 x £50 = £1,200 of ground rent is unaffected. The two later demands (£13,440) are fine, and the missing information has to be given by notice before the £12,240 counts as due.
Source: legislation.gov.uk, Landlord and Tenant Act 1987 section 47, "Landlord's name and address to be contained in demands for rent etc." (subsections 1 to 4 and the editorial notes), and section 48, "Notification by landlord of address for service of notices". Read 23 October 2026.
For an invented service charge year ending 31 December 2025, the six-month date is 30 June 2026. Five invented requests (10 January, 15 May, 2 June, 20 August and 12 November 2026) have due dates of 30 June, 30 June, 2 July, 20 September and 12 December 2026, which is 171, 46, 30, 31 and 30 days after the request (total 308 days); two of the five are governed by the six-month rule and three by the one-month rule. Of five invented blocks of 3, 4, 5, 12 and 40 flats, three (5, 12 and 40) have more than four dwellings and need an accountant's certificate.
Source: legislation.gov.uk, Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 section 21, "Request for summary of relevant costs", the 17 December 1996 version (subsections 1 to 6, including 5A and 5B), plus the current section 21 page, which carries an editorial note that the earlier section remains in force. Read 22 October 2026.
With eight invented administration charge demands of 90, 150, 216, 75, 120, 264, 180 and 60 pounds (total 1,155 pounds), three sent without the summary (150, 264 and 60 pounds, total 474 pounds) can be withheld, leaving 681 pounds (1,155 minus 474) properly payable on time; at an invented 25 pound late fee per late item, the three withheld demands also lose 75 pounds of late fees (3 x 25) while the withholding lasts.
Source: legislation.gov.uk, Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 Schedule 11 (paragraph 1 meaning of administration charge and variable administration charge; paragraph 2 payable only to the extent reasonable; paragraph 4 demand must be accompanied by a summary of rights and obligations, tenant may withhold if not, late-payment lease terms do not apply to the withheld period; paragraph 5 tribunal determination). Read 21 October 2026.
Full guide: Administration charge demands need a summary of rights: eight demands worked
As at 1 October 2026 we count three commencement orders for the Act: building-safety amendments on 31 October 2024 (SI 2024/1018), the end of the two-year ownership rule on 31 January 2025 (SI 2025/57) and the right to manage changes on 3 March 2025 (SI 2025/131); the whole of Part 4 on service charges remains uncommenced.
Source: Property Tax Partners commencement tracker, updated 21 August 2026; MHCLG "Strengthening leaseholder protections" consultation, open 4 July to 26 September 2025 (consult.communities.gov.uk); Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 s 21B annotations on legislation.gov.uk; all read 2026-10-01; MHCLG, Government response to the Strengthening leaseholder protections over charges and services consultation (updated 15 July 2026), read 2026-10-01.
On 1 October 2026 no law requires a block manager in England to hold a qualification. On 29 September 2026 the government said property agents will need a licence and appropriate qualifications, with no level or date; its July 2025 consultation proposed Level 4 with a 36-month transition. The Property Institute's Level 2, 3 and 4 leasehold courses cost £249, £449 and £549, which is £1,247 for the whole ladder.
Source: gov.uk news story "Government goes further to protect leaseholders", 29 September 2026; Strengthening leaseholder protections over charges and services, consultation of 4 July 2025 (paragraphs 318 to 356) and government response of 15 July 2026 (gov.uk); The Property Institute qualification and individual membership pages (tpi.org.uk, prices read in a browser); Property Industry Eye, 30 September 2026; all read 2026-10-01.
Running the firm
Twelve residents' companies each file once a year at £50 online, so £600 a year and 12 separate 14-day filing windows. The same 12 companies on the paper form at £110 would cost £1,320, which is £720 more. A single missed filing exposes a company to a fine of up to £5,000 and possible strike-off, which is 100 times the online fee for that block.
Source: GOV.UK, "Filing your company's confirmation statement" (file up to 14 days after the review period has ended; £50 online, £110 paper form CS01; fined up to £5,000 and company may be struck off if you do not file) and GOV.UK, "Companies House fees" (confirmation statement £50 online and £50 software, £110 paper). Read 13 October 2026.
For twelve RMCs with year ends of 31 March, 30 June, 30 September and 31 December (three each), the Companies House accounts are due on 31 December, 31 March, 30 June and 30 September. If all twelve are filed two months late the penalty is 12 x £375 = £4,500; if one is left for seven months it alone costs £1,500, which is £1,350 more than filing within the first month.
Source: GOV.UK, Prepare annual accounts for a private limited company: filing is due 9 months after the company's financial year ends, and the first accounts 21 months after registration; Penalties for late filing, for private limited companies: £150 up to 1 month late, £375 from 1 to 3 months, £750 from 3 to 6 months, £1,500 more than 6 months; the late-penalty page also says appeals need a specific reason beyond the company's control, and Companies House will not collect while it considers an appeal. Read 9 October 2026.
Section 24(2) of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1987 lists five grounds, (a), (ab), (aba), (ac) and (b). Two of the five, (ab) and (aba), are about charges (2 / 5 = 40%), so a block with a disputed service charge or administration charge can reach the tribunal by a route that has nothing to do with a breach of the lease. Of the two sections we name, we read both in full on legislation.gov.uk; of the other provisions in the Act, we read none.
Source: Landlord and Tenant Act 1987 sections 22 and 24, legislation.gov.uk, read 6 October 2026. Who may apply, the exclusions in section 21, and any tribunal fee for this type of application were not read and are not stated here.
Chapter 2 of Part 10 of the Companies Act 2006 sets out seven general duties, sections 171 to 177 (177 - 171 + 1 = 7). Section 174 then applies two tests together, one objective and one personal, so a director is held to whichever is higher. Of the seven duties we read the text of one (174); of the protections we read two (232 and 1157), so three of the ten provisions named here were read in full and the rest were taken from the chapter's list of headings.
Source: Companies Act 2006 sections 174, 232 and 1157, and the Chapter 2 list of sections 170 to 181, all on legislation.gov.uk, read 6 October 2026. Sections 233 and 234 (insurance and indemnity) were not read in full.
Section 167H counts 14 days "beginning with" the day of the change, so the day itself is day 1 and the last day to file is day 14, 13 days later. A director who resigns on Friday 6 November 2026 (6 + 13 = 19) must have the notice with Companies House by Thursday 19 November 2026, not Friday 20 November. For a three-director board that loses one, the register shows three names for 13 days after the resignation unless the filing is made sooner.
Source: Companies Act 2006 section 167H (inserted by the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, in force 18 November 2025) on legislation.gov.uk, and GOV.UK Running a limited company, Company changes you must report, both read 6 October 2026. The GOV.UK page on appointing or removing directors returned a not-found error. Form TM01 was named in search results and its page was not opened.
Full guide: How does an RMC director resign? The 14-day notice to Companies House, counted by date
We worked the dates out for a meeting on Thursday 19 November 2026. Counting 14 clear days under section 360 of the Companies Act 2006 (leaving out the day notice is given and the day of the meeting), notice must be given on or before Wednesday 4 November 2026; notice given on 5 November leaves only 13 clear days. For a 5% requisition received on 1 November 2026, sections 304 and 305 give 21 days to send the notice (22 November) and then a meeting within 28 days of that notice, so the latest date the meeting can fall is 20 December 2026.
Source: Companies Act 2006 ss 303, 304, 307, 310, 318, 336 and 360; Companies (Model Articles) Regulations 2008, Schedule 2 (private companies limited by guarantee), articles on quorum and adjournment; all on legislation.gov.uk, read 2026-10-05.
No statute lists what must be handed over when a managing agent changes; the RICS code, 4th edition, asks for an interim payment ready for day one where funding allows and a full and final reconciliation, with any remaining monies, within three months of termination. Right to manage is different: information is due within 28 days of a notice, and uncommitted service charges on the acquisition date or as soon after as is reasonably practicable.
Source: RICS Service Charge Residential Management Code, 4th edition, March 2026, effective 7 April 2026, sections 1, 5.13, 7.4 to 7.6 and 14.7 (rics.org, PDF); Landlord and Tenant Act 1987 ss 42 and 48; Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 ss 20B, 21 and 22; Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 ss 93 and 94 (legislation.gov.uk); all read 2026-10-01.
The transitional period for Companies House identity verification is the 12 months beginning with 18 November 2025, so it ends on 17 November 2026. A company cannot file its confirmation statement unless every director is verified; a residents' management company with a confirmation date of 31 October 2026 must file by 14 November 2026, and from the next day an unverified director commits an offence by acting. An agent filing for 30 such companies pays £1,500 a year in filing fees at £50 each online.
Source: Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (Commencement No. 6 and Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2025, SI 2025/1118, regulations 4 and 5; Companies Act 2006 ss 154, 167M, 853A and 1012 (legislation.gov.uk); GOV.UK guidance on verifying your identity for Companies House, when you need to verify, personal codes, the confirmation statement and people with significant control; Companies House approach to non-compliance; Insolvency Service and Companies House press release of 17 September 2026; Companies House "Changes to UK company law" site; all read 2026-10-01.
A right to manage claim takes at least four months from the claim notice. Section 80 of the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 requires a date for counter-notices not earlier than one month after the notice is given, and an acquisition date at least three months after that, so a claim notice given on 19 October 2026 cannot take effect before 19 February 2027.
Source: Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 ss 78, 79, 80, 82, 84, 87A, 87B, 90, 91, 92, 93 and 94, as amended from 3 March 2025; First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) Fees Order 2013, Schedule 1 as substituted on 13 July 2026; all on legislation.gov.uk, read 2026-10-01. The dates in the example are our own count.
On the example hours for a small block management firm (27 office hours a week, 21 of them on six jobs a tool can prepare, a quarter of each kept for checking), 15.8 hours a week could be handed over: 58% of the total, costing £10,868 a year at £15 an hour over 46 weeks.
Source: Arithmetic on the hours entered; the checking share is our stated assumption and can be changed. Rules behind what is drafted: Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, sections 20, 20B and 21B; Service Charges (Consultation Requirements) (England) Regulations 2003
We wrote ten questions from the rules set out in 10 of our guides; for 4 of the ten the answer that is in order is "no", so the check cannot be passed by ticking yes. The first asks: Before instructing any works, do you test the cost against the leaseholder with the largest share and consult if that share is over £250? Section 20 consultation is required when any one leaseholder's contribution to qualifying works exceeds £250. Without it, recovery is capped at £250 a flat: on a £48,000 job across 24 flats that leaves £42,000 with the client.
Source: Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, section 20; Service Charges (Consultation Requirements) (England) Regulations 2003; Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, section 21B; Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, section 20B; Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, sections 22 and 25; Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, section 21; Housing Act 1996, section 81; SI 2004/3086; Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024, Part 4 (uncommenced); commencement orders SI 2024/1018, SI 2025/57 and SI 2025/131; Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, regulation 10; Fire Safety (Residential Evacuation Plans) (England) Regulations 2025, regulations 3 and 13; RICS Service Charge Residential Management Code, 4th edition, sections 7.4 to 7.6; each rule is set out with its source in the guide the question links to. The test record is in tests/readiness/tools-check.txt.
On 1 October 2026 we read the pricing pages of Arthur, Blocks Online, Fixflo, Propman, MRI Qube PM and Dwellant; for 1,200 units, Blocks Online's block management module comes to £3,360 a year and Arthur's Standard plan to £21,600 a year on the published per-unit rates, while Propman and Qube show no figure at all and Dwellant shows starting prices of £2.99 to £4.99 a unit without saying for what period.
Source: arthuronline.co.uk/pricing; blocksonline.co.uk/pricing; fixflo.com/pricing; grosvenorsystems.com (Propman); mrisoftware.com/uk (Qube PM); dwellant.com and dwellant.com/platform-packages; all read 2026-10-01. Desk check only: we did not request quotes or trial any product.
On 1 October 2026 the business plans a small block management firm would buy were listed at £15 a seat a month for ChatGPT Business, £18 for Claude Team billed annually with VAT included, £13.80 for the Microsoft 365 Copilot Business add-on paid yearly and £11.80 for Google Workspace Business Standard with Gemini on a one-year commitment. Each vendor says content on those plans is not used to train its models by default. Eight seats come to between £1,132.80 and £1,440 a year before VAT.
Source: openai.com/business/chatgpt-pricing and openai.com/enterprise-privacy; claude.com/pricing and privacy.claude.com; microsoft.com/en-gb/microsoft-365-copilot/pricing and learn.microsoft.com (Microsoft 365 Copilot privacy); workspace.google.com/intl/en_uk/pricing and the Google Workspace generative AI privacy hub; RICS, Responsible use of AI in surveying practice; ICO, Guidance on AI and data protection; UK GDPR Article 28 (legislation.gov.uk); all read 2026-10-01, vendor pages in a browser render. Desk check only: we did not buy or test any plan.
AEO Lookup editorial team
We write practical guides for people who run small UK firms, and we check every fact against its source on the date shown. Read how we review, or tell us if something has changed.