Straight answers to leasehold questions
Plain-English guides to the questions residents ask us most. Each one names its sources and when we last checked it.
Service chargesWhat can a service charge include?Your lease decides what you pay for. The law decides how it must be charged.Service chargesHow to challenge a service chargeThe steps, in order, from a question to the tribunal.Service chargesSection 20 consultation, step by stepWhen it applies, what each notice means, and what could change.Service chargesReserve funds: why your building needs oneSaving steadily beats a sudden five-figure bill.Service chargesWhy has our buildings insurance gone up?The main causes, your right to information, and what reform will change.Service chargesThe 18-month rule, explainedWhy old costs can’t simply appear on a bill years later.Directors and RTMSo you’re an RMC director: what now?Your legal duties, in plain English.Directors and RTMRight to Manage: how it worksQualification, the process, and what the 2025 changes mean.Directors and RTMWhat a recognised residents’ association can doA formal voice on works, insurance and your managing agent.Directors and RTMHow to change your managing agentNotice periods, handover and the first 90 days.Building safetyIs my building a higher-risk building?The 18 metre and seven-storey test, and what follows.Building safetyFire doors: what every leaseholder should knowWhy your front door matters to everyone else in the building.Building safetyFire risk assessments for blocks of flatsWho needs one, what it covers, and how often.Building safetyCladding funding now reaches buildings under 11 metresWho can apply, the closing date, and what is not covered.Building safetyCladding deadlines: 2029 and 2031 explainedWhat the government plans to put into law.Building safetyDo leaseholders pay for historic safety defects?An overview of the Building Safety Act protections.Buying and sellingSelling your flat: the leasehold packWhat an LPE1 is, and how to avoid delays.Living in a flatCan I let my flat as a holiday let?Leases, neighbours and insurance come before booking sites.Living in a flatPets in flats: what your lease saysConsent, conditions and the effect of the Renters’ Rights Act.Living in a flatAlterations: when you need consentWalls, floors and windows are the usual sticking points.Leasehold reformGround rent: what the law says nowPeppercorn rents for new leases, and proposals for existing ones.Leasehold reformLease extensions: the basics in 2026What has changed already, and what is still waiting.EstatesFreehold estate charges: new rights on the wayTransparency and challenge rights for homeowners on private estates.EstatesHouses and flats on one estate: who pays for what?Estate costs and block costs are shared differently.Living in a flatRetirement flats: service charges and event fees explainedWhat you pay for, and the questions to ask.Living in a flatLeaks between flats: who is responsible?It depends on where the leak starts, and what your lease says.Living in a flatNoise and nuisance from neighboursWhat the lease, the managing agent and the council can each do.Leasehold reformThe new RICS management code, in plain EnglishWhat changed on 7 April 2026, and why it matters to you.Leasehold reformLeasehold reform: what is in force, and what is not yetA single list to check, kept up to date.About usShould your managing agent be qualified?Government thinks so. Here is how to check any agent.About usWho looks after your buildingThe people behind Anthony James Leasehold Management.About usManaging blocks on the coastWhy Southport and Formby buildings need a different maintenance plan.Local guidesOwning a flat in Liverpool city centreHeritage, licensing and building safety: what Liverpool flat owners and directors need to know.Local guidesLooking after a period building in SouthportConservation areas, listed buildings and the right repairs for Southport’s older blocks.RentingThe Renters’ Rights Act: what changed on 1 May 2026Rolling tenancies, no more Section 21, rent rises once a year and the right to ask for a pet, for tenants and landlords.
Our editorial standards
Articles explain; they do not sell. Each one names its sources, separates what is law from what is proposed, and shows when it was last checked.