Introduction
On 12 November 2026, the government laid five sets of regulations in Parliament implementing key parts of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024. A sixth set covering litigation costs is due before the end of 2026. These are not proposals — they are regulations already on their way to the statute book, subject to routine Parliamentary approval. If you are one of England's three million-plus leaseholders, your rights are about to get materially stronger. This guide explains what is changing, what you can do before the new rights arrive, and what your options are if you discover you have been overcharged.
Key Takeaways
- From 1 April 2027, leaseholders in England gain a legal right to request service charge information — including for past years — and landlords must have a valid reason to refuse.
- From 1 November 2027, managing agents must issue standardised accounts, annual reports, and clearer information on insurance and admin fees.
- Leaseholders already have the right to challenge service charges at the First-tier Tribunal (Property) under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 — the new rights make exercising that challenge significantly easier.
- The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 is now being activated through secondary legislation, with the new regulations representing the first major wave of implementation.
- For leaseholders who discover historic overcharging, Right to Manage remains the most direct route to taking control of how service charge money is spent.
The New Rights
at a Glance
The changes are phased across three dates, subject to Parliamentary approval.
From 1 April 2027
- Right to request service charge information — including for past years. Your landlord or managing agent must have a valid reason to refuse.
- Protection from landlord legal costs — if you challenge a service charge, the landlord cannot pass their legal bills onto you without court or tribunal approval. You can also recover your own legal expenses if you succeed.
From 1 November 2027
- Standardised demand forms — service charge demands must use a consistent, clearer format.
- Financial accounts and annual reports — private landlords must issue accounts in a standardised, readable format.
- Transparent insurance information — detailed breakdown of your building insurance premium, plus protection against inflated insurance arrangement fees and management commissions.
- Clear admin fees — upfront information on every admin charge your managing agent can bill you for.
From 1 November 2028
- Councils and housing associations must meet the same standardised reporting requirements.
Existing Leaseholder Rights
Leaseholders already have the right to challenge service charges they consider unreasonable at the First-tier Tribunal (Property) under Section 27A of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. The tribunal can determine whether a charge is payable and whether the amount is reasonable. Under Section 20C of the same Act, leaseholders can also apply for an order preventing the landlord from recovering their legal costs through the service charge. The new rights build directly on this existing framework — they do not replace it. What they add is the transparency needed to build a case in the first place.
What Is Changing and Why
The regulations laid in November 2026 are the secondary legislation that activates Part 4 of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024. For years, leaseholders have faced a structural information gap — managing agents hold the accounts, the invoices, the insurance arrangements, and the management fee justifications, while leaseholders receive a demand and little else. The new framework closes that gap by giving leaseholders enforceable rights to see the detail, backed by protection from being billed for asking. The government has described rapidly escalating and frequently opaque service charges as placing huge financial strain on leaseholders across the country. These regulations are the first concrete response.
Reviewing Your Service-Charge Accounts
You do not have to wait until April 2027. Under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, leaseholders already have the right to request a summary of relevant costs and inspect the underlying documents. Most leaseholders never use it. When reviewing your accounts, look for the following:
- Management fees expressed as a percentage of total expenditure — fees above 10–15% of total spend are worth questioning
- Insurance premiums that increase significantly year on year without explanation
- Large repair or maintenance invoices with no evidence of competitive tendering
- Admin charges applied without a clear contractual basis
- Year-end balancing charges that appear without a detailed breakdown
A template request letter is included at the bottom of this article.
Raising Enquiries and Complaints
If you have concerns about your service charges, start by putting your questions in writing to your managing agent. A written record matters. If the response is unsatisfactory or not forthcoming, you can apply to the First-tier Tribunal (Property) under Section 27A of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 for a determination on whether a charge is reasonable and payable. From April 2027, the new information rights will give you stronger grounds to compel disclosure before you even reach that stage. For leaseholders who want support navigating this process, specialist leasehold advisers and solicitors with residential property experience are the right starting point.
Exploring Right to Manage
For leaseholders who want to take control of their building's management rather than challenge individual charges, Right to Manage is worth exploring. RTM allows leaseholders in a qualifying block to take over management of their building — without having to prove fault, buy out the freeholder, or pay compensation to anyone. You form a RTM company, serve notice on the freeholder, and after a statutory process, management transfers to you. RTM does not remove your freeholder or affect your lease. It removes the managing agent and puts leaseholders in control of how service charge money is spent, which contractors are appointed, and how the building is run day to day. The new legislation strengthens the case for RTM — the information rights give you the evidence to build the argument, and the litigation cost protections mean your managing agent cannot bankrupt you for making it.
What RTM Directors Need After
the Handover
Taking the RTM is the beginning, not the end. The challenge most new boards encounter immediately is operational — how do you run a building without it becoming a second full-time job? The new legislation mandates transparency in the form of standardised accounts, annual reports, and clearer charges. But mandating it and delivering it are different things. RTM boards using Residentive have this by default:
- Real-time financial transparency — residents see exactly where every service charge pound goes, not just at year end
- Centralised repair tracking — every request logged, assigned, and tracked to resolution
- Digital ballots for major works — residents participate, decisions are documented and defensible
- ProperResponse™ — 24/7 resident communication, always logged, never lost
- Full account history — ready for any challenge under the new information rights
The new law gives leaseholders the right to ask questions. The platform you run your building on determines whether the answers are already there.
Template Request Letter
Send by recorded post or email with read receipt.
[Your Name] [Your Flat Number and Address] [Date]
To the Managing Agent / Landlord of [Building Name],
Re: Request for Service Charge Account Information
I am writing as a leaseholder at the above address to formally request service charge information under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985.
I request the following:
- A summary of the service charge account for each of the last three service charge years
- Copies of all invoices or supporting documents for any single expenditure item exceeding £500 in each year
- The name of the building insurer, the total policy premium, and details of any commission or arrangement fee received by the managing agent in connection with that insurance
- A breakdown of the management fee charged in each year, expressed as both a fixed amount and a percentage of total service charge expenditure
- Details of any administration charges applied to my account in the last three years, with the contractual basis for each
Please respond within 21 days. If any information is to be withheld, please set out your reasons in writing.
Yours faithfully, [Your Name and contact details]
This letter is a template only and does not constitute legal advice. For complex disputes or if you receive an unsatisfactory response, consult a leasehold specialist or qualified solicitor.
Conclusion
The regulations laid on 12 November 2026 are a genuine shift. For the first time, leaseholders have a clear legal route to demand service charge information going back years — and legal protection against being billed for the challenge. If your service charges have ever felt opaque, now is the time to start asking questions. The rights to do it properly are almost here.
Start with a free consultation. Whether you are exploring Right to Manage for the first time, planning a clean handover, or simply trying to understand what you are currently paying for — speak to our team first. We will help you assess your position, understand your options, and decide on the right next step.
Book a free, no-obligation consultation
Once you are on the platform, ProperAudit gives your board the tools to exercise the new information rights properly — a full historic account audit, documented and ready for any challenge under the new legislation.
Residentive is a block management platform for RTM companies and self-managed buildings in England. This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. Regulations referenced are subject to Parliamentary approval.