Frequently Asked Questions

Yes — this is exactly what RTM is designed for. Right to Manage gives your leaseholder company control over who manages the building, what they're paid, and how the service charge budget is spent. You can sack the current agent on acquisition day and appoint someone you choose, negotiate the contract, and hold them accountable. The freeholder keeps ownership of the freehold, but loses all say over day-to-day management.

Three conditions: (1) The building must contain at least two flats held on long leases — leases originally granted for more than 21 years. (2) No more than 50% of the total internal floor area can be non-residential — a threshold raised from 25% by the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024, so a building with ground-floor commercial units that was previously blocked may now qualify. (3) The building must not fall into the excluded categories: buildings with a resident landlord who occupies one of four or fewer flats, converted houses where the freeholder lives there. Purpose-built blocks of flats almost always qualify — run the self-test if you're unsure.

This is the fear that stops more RTM campaigns than any legal obstacle. There is no mechanism for it. The freeholder retains ownership of the freehold and their rights under the lease — they can still collect ground rent if payable, still enforce lease covenants, still be consulted on major works under Section 20. What they cannot do is interfere with management decisions that now belong to the RTM company. Once RTM is acquired, the freeholder no longer controls the management function. There is nothing to reach for.

There is no single answer — it depends on how you run the campaign and whether the freeholder contests it. The unavoidable cost is £50 to incorporate the RTM company at Companies House. Beyond that: if you use a solicitor for the claim notice and articles of association, expect £1,500–£4,000. If a specialist RTM firm manages the whole process, £2,000–£8,000. If the freeholder contests the claim and it goes to tribunal, add tribunal fees and potentially more legal time. A well-organised group handling a straightforward building with minimal professional help can keep total costs to £500–£2,000. A complex or contested claim can reach £10,000–£15,000 split between all participants. Per flat, the numbers are usually modest.

The statutory process has fixed timings once you serve the claim notice: the freeholder has one month to serve a counter-notice. The acquisition date must be at least three months after the claim notice — most groups set it at four to six months to allow time to prepare for the handover. Preparation — building support, forming the company, drafting the notice — typically takes two to six months. Total: most groups complete RTM in six to twelve months from first meeting to acquisition day.

Neighbour apathy is the most common reason RTM campaigns stall before they start. A few approaches that work: target owner-occupiers first — they have the most financial stake; write to leaseholders whose correspondence address is the flat (likely owner-occupiers) rather than a separate address (likely investors or absentees); frame it around service charges and agent quality, not politics; hold a short, informal meeting rather than a formal one. You need a majority of qualifying flats — but not every leaseholder. In a 20-flat building, 11 willing participants is enough.

The RTM company holds the management functions and can appoint anyone — including a professional managing agent — to carry them out. Most RTM companies appoint a managing agent. The difference from before is that you choose who it is, negotiate the contract, set their scope, and can replace them. You are in control of the relationship, not the freeholder.

They solve different problems. Collective enfranchisement (buying the freehold) gives you ownership of the land — you can extend your leases cheaply, control ground rent, and eventually convert to commonhold. RTM gives you management control without buying anything, which is faster and cheaper. The right choice depends on your priorities: if short leases are the main concern, enfranchisement is essential. If the problem is an incompetent or corrupt managing agent, RTM gets there faster. Many buildings do RTM first and enfranchisement later.