Managing Agents: Rights and Complaints

A managing agent is a company or individual appointed by the landlord — typically the freeholder — to manage the building on the landlord's behalf. The managing agent acts as the landlord's agent; they do not hold an independent legal position in relation to the leaseholder. Under most standard leases, the leaseholder has no direct contractual relationship with the managing agent.

Typical managing agent responsibilities include: collecting service charges and ground rent; instructing and overseeing contractors for repairs and maintenance; placing and administering buildings insurance; dealing with Section 20 consultation on major works; managing day-to-day correspondence; and maintaining communal areas. The scope of the agent's authority is defined by the terms of their appointment with the landlord, not by the lease.

Because the managing agent acts for the landlord, complaints about their conduct are directed first to the agent, then to their redress scheme. Disputes about the amount or payability of service charges — including charges administered by the agent — are ultimately a matter for the First-tier Tribunal, not the agent's redress scheme.

What Managing Agents Are Obliged to Do

Managing agents carrying out property management work in England are required by law to belong to a government-approved redress scheme. The current approved schemes are the Property Ombudsman and the Property Redress Scheme. This requirement is imposed by the Redress Schemes for Lettings Agency Work and Property Management Work (Requirement to Belong to a Scheme etc.) (England) Order 2014. Failure to belong to an approved scheme is a civil offence subject to a financial penalty. A leaseholder may verify which scheme an agent belongs to by contacting the agent directly or checking the scheme's published register.

Service charges held by an agent on behalf of a landlord must be held in a designated trust account, separate from the agent's own funds. This obligation derives from section 42 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1987 (as it applies to money held pending determination of service charge liability) and from client money protection requirements. In the event of the agent's insolvency, funds held in a designated trust account should not form part of the agent's general estate.

Under section 30A of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, a leaseholder may obtain insurance information from the landlord, including the insurer's name, the policy terms, and the sum insured. This right exists regardless of whether the policy is placed by a managing agent on the landlord's behalf.

As at June 2026, there is no statutory requirement for managing agents to hold a licence or minimum qualification in England. This is a known gap in the regulatory framework. A government consultation in July 2025 proposed introducing minimum qualifications at Level 4, but no regulations have been made. The position may change; see the Reform Tracker for current status.

Internal Complaints

The first step in complaining about a managing agent is to use the agent's own internal complaints procedure. Managing agents registered with a redress scheme are required to have a complaints procedure in place. The procedure should be published on the agent's website or available on request.

A formal complaint should be made in writing, identifying the specific conduct complained of, the relevant dates, the impact on the leaseholder, and the resolution being sought. All correspondence should be retained. Where a complaint is initially raised verbally or by telephone, it should be followed up in writing to create a documented record.

A redress scheme will generally require evidence that the internal complaints process was completed before a referral is accepted. A reasonable period to allow for a response is eight weeks from the date of the formal complaint — or less if the managing agent issues a final response letter before that, which closes the internal process. Once a final response has been issued, or eight weeks have elapsed without resolution, the complaint may be referred to the redress scheme.

Redress Scheme Complaints

If the internal complaint is not resolved, the leaseholder may refer the matter to the managing agent's redress scheme — either the Property Ombudsman (TPO) or the Property Redress Scheme (PRS), depending on which scheme the agent belongs to. To identify which scheme applies, the agent should confirm this on their website or correspondence; if not, both schemes publish searchable registers of their members.

A redress scheme may investigate complaints about managing agent conduct, award compensation for financial loss and distress, and require the agent to take remedial action. A redress scheme cannot determine or reduce a service charge — that jurisdiction belongs to the First-tier Tribunal. If the underlying complaint is about the amount or payability of a charge, the tribunal route applies regardless of any managing agent conduct involved.

The time limit for referring a complaint to the Property Ombudsman is generally 12 months from the date of the final response letter. The Property Redress Scheme applies a similar time limit. A referral made after the time limit may not be accepted. Where a complaint is approaching the time limit, a referral should be made even if the internal process is ongoing, to preserve the right.

RICS Membership Complaints

Some managing agents are members of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), or employ RICS-qualified surveyors. RICS members are bound by the RICS Rules of Conduct and must operate in accordance with the RICS Service Charge Residential Management Code, which sets standards for the management of residential leasehold property.

A complaint to RICS is appropriate where the conduct of an individual surveyor or a RICS firm fails to meet the professional standards required — for example, through a failure to act with integrity, competence, or in accordance with RICS guidance. This route addresses professional conduct, not the amount or payability of a service charge. RICS does not determine service charges and does not award financial compensation in the way a redress scheme does. Where the substantive dispute is about money, the tribunal remains the correct jurisdiction.

RICS contact details are listed at Useful Contacts.

When the Tribunal Is the Right Route

The redress scheme route and the tribunal route address different issues. The redress scheme handles complaints about the managing agent's conduct — communication failures, delays, failure to maintain the building, failure to follow the complaints process. The First-tier Tribunal determines whether service charges are payable and in what amount. The two routes are not mutually exclusive: a complaint about an agent's conduct and a tribunal application concerning the same charge may proceed concurrently.

The distinction matters practically: a redress scheme finding against an agent does not bind the tribunal and cannot reduce a service charge. If the fundamental concern is that a charge is too high or not payable, only the tribunal can resolve that question. Pursuing the redress scheme alone does not preserve any deadline or right to challenge the charge at the tribunal.

Where the core concern is not a specific charge but the overall quality of building management — and the building qualifies — the Right to Manage provides a route for leaseholders to take management functions out of the landlord's hands entirely, without needing to prove fault. See LHF/05 — Right to Manage.