Section 20 notices and service charge demands, challenged by someone who’s done it.

Why this page exists

Most leaseholders don’t challenge anything because the process looks like it needs a solicitor and the numbers don’t justify one. It doesn’t, for most of the stages. It needs someone who can read a specification, count the invoices and follow the procedure.

Section 20 consultation review, £150

Under section 20 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 and the 2003 consultation regulations, a landlord who wants to recover more than £250 from any one leaseholder for a set of works has to consult in stages. Notice of intention, the estimates, and the reasons for the choice. Each stage has its own content and its own period for observations. Miss a stage or get it wrong and the recoverable amount is capped unless the tribunal grants dispensation.

We check the notices against the regulations and your lease. Was the notice served on the right people? Does it describe the works properly? Were your observations dealt with? Is the contractor connected to the landlord? Were the estimates real? You get a written review, the observations to send back within the period, and a clear view on whether there’s a challenge in it.

Service charge challenge pack, £250

This is the pre-tribunal stage. We go through the demands, the accounts, the lease’s apportionment and the supporting invoices, and put the challenge to the landlord in writing. Section 21 and 22 requests for the summary and the underlying documents, the section 27A points on whether the charge is payable at all and whether the cost was reasonably incurred, and a proposed figure. Some disputes settle at this stage once the landlord sees the invoices have been read.

Tribunal application pack, £450

Where it doesn’t settle, section 27A of the 1985 Act lets you apply to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) for a determination of whether a service charge is payable and if so how much. Section 20C lets you ask that the landlord’s costs of the case aren’t added to the service charge. We prepare the application, the statement of case, the schedule of disputed items and the bundle, in the order and format the tribunal expects. The tribunal fee is charged at cost on top. If you want someone in the room on the day, lay representation is priced on application.

Complaints and the Housing Ombudsman, £120 per stage

If your landlord is a housing association or other social landlord, it’s a member of the Housing Ombudsman Scheme and has to run a two-stage complaints process under the Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code. Getting through both stages properly, with the right points made and the timescales recorded, is what gets you to the Ombudsman with a case that reads well. We draft each stage for £120, and the referral itself as a further stage.

Recognised Tenants’ Association, £350

Under section 29 of the 1985 Act a group of leaseholders who contribute to the same service charge can form an association and have it recognised, either by the landlord’s written notice or by a certificate from the First-tier Tribunal. A recognised association gets statutory rights to be consulted, to see accounts and to appoint a surveyor. We draft the constitution, run the membership evidence, make the request to the landlord and, if it’s refused, prepare the tribunal application. The tribunal fee is at cost.

Lease extension and Right to Manage check, £95

A one-off check of your lease term, ground rent and building against the current rules on lease extensions and on taking over management under the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002. The leasehold reforms of 2024 changed some of the qualifying conditions and the government is still bringing parts into force, so we check the position on the day. The output is a plain note of what you qualify for and what the next step costs. Where a matter needs a solicitor or a valuer, and lease extensions and Right to Manage claims usually do, we say so and refer you.

Prices

Service	Fixed price
Section 20 consultation review	£150
Service charge challenge pack	£250
Tribunal application pack (s27A and s20C)	£450
Complaint escalation to the landlord’s complaints process and the Housing Ombudsman, per stage	£120
Recognised Tenants’ Association formation	£350
Lease extension and Right to Manage check	£95
Lay representation at a tribunal hearing, per day	On application

All prices fixed and paid by bank transfer at engagement. Tribunal fees at cost. Full list on the fees page.

Landlord Services NW is not a firm of solicitors and doesn’t give legal advice. We prepare documents and represent as a lay representative where the tribunal permits it. No outcome is guaranteed and a tribunal can find for either side.