YOUR QUESTIONS, ANSWERED

We provide full block management for residential buildings across London — covering everything from day-to-day maintenance and contractor management to service charge budgets, compliance, major works and leaseholder communication. We also support Right to Manage companies and work with freeholders who want their building properly looked after. Every service is structured, planned at the start of the year, and followed through — so nothing gets missed and no one gets surprised.

Getting started is simple. Reach out through our contact form or schedule a call—we’ll walk you through the next steps and answer any questions along the way.

Most managing agents communicate in jargon, mark up contractor costs without telling you, and treat your building like one of hundreds on a spreadsheet. We don't. We explain everything in plain English. We're transparent about every cost. We structure the whole year upfront so services happen automatically rather than being chased. And when something needs a decision, we make sure you understand what it is, what it costs, and why — before anything is agreed. We're also a small, senior-led team. You won't be passed between juniors.

You can reach us anytime via our contact page or email. We aim to respond quickly—usually within one business day.

We charge a straightforward monthly management fee based on the number of units in your building. No hidden markups on contractors. No surprise charges. Before we agree anything, we'll give you a clear breakdown of exactly what you'll pay and what's included. Transparency around costs is one of the reasons Integrity was founded — we've seen first-hand what happens when it's absent.

Organised, communicative and calm. You'll have a named point of contact who knows your building. You'll receive clear updates, not jargon-filled emails. If something goes wrong, we tell you straight away — along with what we're doing about it. Directors and leaseholders tell us they finally feel in control of what's happening with their building. That's exactly how it should feel.

A property manager takes responsibility for the day-to-day running of a building on behalf of the freeholder, RTM company or residents' management company — so that directors and leaseholders don't have to manage it themselves.

In practice that means:

• Arranging and overseeing maintenance and repairs

• Managing contractors and ensuring work is carried out properly

• Setting and managing the service charge budget

• Collecting service charges and ground rent

• Keeping accounts transparent and up to date

• Ensuring the building meets its legal and health & safety obligations

• Handling leaseholder queries and communications

• Planning ahead so nothing gets missed

• Managing major works when required

• Keeping directors informed and involved in decisions that matter

A good property manager doesn't just react to problems — they anticipate them, plan around them and make sure everyone knows what's happening and why.

At Integrity, that's exactly how we work.

Our management fee covers the full running of your building — not just reacting to problems when they arise, but actively managing everything so problems are less likely to occur in the first place.

In practice that means:

• A named point of contact who knows your building

• Regular site visits and property inspections

• Managing all contractors and ensuring work is carried out properly

• Handling all leaseholder and director communications

• Preparing and managing the annual service charge budget

• Keeping accounts transparent and up to date

• Ensuring all legal and health & safety obligations are met

• Planning the year ahead so nothing gets missed

• Attending directors' meetings when required

• Advising on decisions that affect the building

What it does not cover is the cost of works, repairs, insurance or other building expenses — those are paid from the service charge and always clearly itemised.

You will always know exactly what your management fee pays for. That is not something every managing agent can say.

Yes. Service charge money belongs to leaseholders — not to the managing agent. Under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1987, service charge funds must be held in a designated account, completely separate from the managing agent's own accounts. Additionally all client money must be held in a seperate account that includes the words in its ttle clearly indicating ‘client’.

At Integrity, all service charge funds are held in dedicated client accounts with — meaning your building’s funds have their own account, money can only ever be used for the running of your building and nothing else.

We are also a registered member of the Property Redress Scheme (Membership No: PRS054888), the government-approved redress scheme authorised by the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government. This means you have independent recourse.

You will always have full visibility of how your money is being spent through regular account statements and year-end accounts. If you ever want to understand your accounts in more detail, just ask — that's exactly the kind of conversation we welcome.

A Section 20 (S20) is a legal consultation process required under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. It is triggered when planned works or a long-term contract will cost any individual leaseholder more than £250.

The purpose is to protect leaseholders — ensuring they are informed about significant expenditure, given the opportunity to comment, and able to nominate their own contractors for consideration.

The process has three stages: a notice of intention, a notice of estimates, and (in some cases) a notice of reasons. Each stage has strict legal timeframes that must be followed. If the process is not carried out correctly, the managing agent's ability to recover costs through the service charge can be severely limited.

At Integrity, we manage Section 20 consultations properly from start to finish — keeping directors and leaseholders informed at every stage, appointing the right contractors, and ensuring the process is fully compliant and clearly documented.

A Section 20 consultation follows three formal stages, each with strict legal timeframes:

Stage 1 — Notice of Intention We notify all leaseholders and any recognised tenants' association that major works are planned. Leaseholders have 30 days to respond with observations or to nominate a contractor they would like us to obtain a quote from.

Stage 2 — Notice of Estimates We obtain at least two competitive quotes — including any contractor nominated by leaseholders during Stage 1. We then notify all leaseholders of the estimates received. Leaseholders have a further 30 days to submit observations.

Stage 3 — Notice of Award (where required) If the chosen contractor is not the lowest quote or a leaseholder nominee, we must issue a further notice explaining why that contractor was selected.

Throughout the process, all observations from leaseholders must be considered and responded to. Strict deadlines apply at every stage — if they are not met, the amount recoverable through the service charge may be limited to £250 per leaseholder, regardless of the actual cost of the works.

At Integrity, we manage the entire process — from initial notices through to completion — ensuring it is legally compliant, properly documented and clearly communicated to everyone involved.

Tenant covenants are the obligations placed on a leaseholder under the terms of their lease. They set out what a leaseholder is and is not permitted to do in relation to their property and the building.

Common tenant covenants include:

• Paying service charges and ground rent on time

• Keeping the property in good repair and condition

• Not making alterations or additions without prior consent

• Not subletting without the landlord's approval

• Not causing nuisance or annoyance to other residents

• Using the property only for its permitted purpose (usually residential)

• Complying with the building's rules and regulations

Breaching a tenant covenant can have serious consequences for a leaseholder — including forfeiture of the lease in the most severe cases.

As managing agent, part of our role is to monitor compliance with tenant covenants, deal with breaches appropriately and advise directors on the correct course of action when issues arise — always ensuring the process is handled properly and proportionately.

As a leaseholder you have a number of legal rights to information about your building and how it is managed. These rights are set out in law and come with specific processes and timeframes that must be followed.

Accounts & Service Charges

• A written summary of the service charge account for any accounting period, upon formal written request

• Leaseholders have the right to inspect supporting receipts and documents following receipt of a summary — this must be requested formally in writing, arranged at a reasonable time and place, and requested within 6 months of receiving the summary

• A reasonable administration charge may apply

Insurance

• Details of the building's insurance policy, including the insurer, level of cover and the premium paid

• A copy of the insurance policy on formal written request — a reasonable administration charge may apply

Compliance & Safety

• Fire risk assessment

• Asbestos survey (where applicable)

• Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR)

• Lift inspection certificates (where applicable)

• Health & safety inspection reports

Building Information

• A summary of any Section 20 consultation affecting your building

• Information about any pending or ongoing legal proceedings relating to the building

At Integrity, we share accounts, certificates and relevant documentation with directors as a matter of course — and we respond to all properly made requests from leaseholders promptly and transparently.

A contingency is a sum set aside within the service charge budget to cover unexpected day-to-day expenses that cannot be predicted at the time the budget is set — an emergency repair, an unplanned call-out, or a cost that comes in higher than anticipated.

It is not a separate fund but a budgeted allowance built into the annual figures as a sensible precaution. Any unused contingency at the end of the year remains in the service charge account.

See also: Reserve Fund / Sinking Fund

A reserve fund (sometimes called a sinking fund) is money collected from leaseholders over a period of time and set aside specifically for larger, planned future expenditure — such as, but not limited to- roof replacement, external decorations or lift refurbishment.

Rather than issuing a large one-off demand when major works are needed, a well-managed reserve fund spreads the cost gradually over a number of years, making it far less disruptive for leaseholders when significant works eventually arise.

At Integrity, we review and plan reserve fund contributions as part of our annual budgeting process, ensuring funds are building appropriately for the long-term needs of your building.

See also: Contingency

A Right to Manage company is a specific type of company created under the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002. It gives qualifying leaseholders of a building the legal right to take over the management of their building from the freeholder or existing managing agent — without having to prove that the current management is at fault.

This is a powerful tool for leaseholders who are unhappy with how their building is being managed but have felt powerless to do anything about it.

Once an RTM company is successfully established, the leaseholders — as directors of that company — are then in a position to appoint a managing agent of their own choosing. The managing agent then handles everything on their behalf, day to day. The directors remain in control of the key decisions, without having to manage the building themselves.

RTM is available to leaseholders of flats and maisonettes only. It is not available for individual leasehold houses or housing estates. To qualify, at least two thirds of the flats must be held on long leases, and no more than 25% of the building can be in non-residential use.

At Integrity, we guide leaseholders through the entire RTM process from start to finish — and once the RTM is in place, we handle everything so directors can focus on the decisions that matter, not the day-to-day detail.

Resident Management Company (RMC)

A Resident Management Company is a limited company whose members or shareholders are the leaseholders of the building. Unlike an RTM company, an RMC is not formed by choice — it is defined within the lease itself as being responsible for the management of the communal parts of the development.

In practice, the RMC is run by a board of directors, usually leaseholders who have volunteered to take on that responsibility. Those directors are legally accountable for ensuring the building is properly managed, maintained and compliant — often without any specialist property knowledge.

This is where a good managing agent makes all the difference. Rather than directors having to navigate complex legislation, contractor relationships and financial management themselves, the managing agent handles everything on their behalf — keeping them informed, protected and in control of the decisions that matter.

At Integrity, we work closely with RMC directors to ensure they always understand what is happening with their building, what it costs and why — so they can fulfil their legal responsibilities with confidence, not stress.

Residents' Association & Recognised Tenants' Association (RTA)

A residents' association is an informal group of leaseholders or tenants who come together to represent the collective interests of those living in a building or development. It does not require a formal constitution or corporate status — any group of residents can form one.

However, a residents' association can apply to be formally recognised under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, at which point it becomes a Recognised Tenants' Association (RTA). Recognition gives the association significantly greater legal standing and additional rights, including:

• The right to be consulted on the appointment of managing agents

• The right to be consulted on major works under Section 20

• The right to request a summary of service charge accounts on behalf of its members

• The right to nominate contractors during a Section 20 consultation

Recognition can be granted either by the landlord or, if the landlord refuses, by a First-tier Tribunal.

An RTA must have a formal constitution setting out how it operates and must genuinely represent leaseholders in the building.

At Integrity, we engage openly with both residents' associations and recognised tenants' associations — keeping them properly informed and consulted in line with their legal rights.

Service charges are the payments made by leaseholders to cover the cost of managing, maintaining and running the communal areas and shared services of their building. They are set out in the lease and are a legal obligation — not optional.

Service charges typically cover costs such as:

• Buildings insurance

• Cleaning of communal areas

• Maintenance and repairs

• Gardening and landscaping

• Utilities for communal areas such as lighting and heating

• Compliance and health & safety requirements

• Managing agent fees

• Contributions to the reserve fund

The amount each leaseholder pays is usually calculated as a percentage or proportion of the total costs, as set out in their individual lease.

Service charges are variable — they go up or down depending on the actual costs incurred in running the building each year. They are not a fixed fee and must be reasonable under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985.

At Integrity, service charge budgets are prepared at the start of each year, shared with directors in advance, and kept fully transparent throughout — so leaseholders always know what they are paying for and why.

Ground rent is an annual charge paid by a leaseholder to the freeholder simply for occupying the land on which the property sits. Unlike service charges, it is not related to the cost of maintaining or managing the building — it is a separate obligation set out in the lease.

As a leaseholder, you own the right to occupy your property for the term of your lease — but that ownership comes with a set of obligations, set out in your lease and in law.

Your key responsibilities include:

• Paying service charges and ground rent (where applicable) on time

• Keeping your property in good repair and condition

• Not making alterations or structural changes without prior written consent

• Not subletting or assigning the lease without the required approvals

• Not causing nuisance or annoyance to other residents or neighbours

• Using the property only for its permitted purpose — usually residential

• Complying with the building's rules and regulations as set out in the lease

• Allowing access for inspections or essential works when properly notified

Failure to comply with the obligations in your lease can have serious consequences — including administration charges, legal action and, in the most serious cases, forfeiture of the lease.

At Integrity, we communicate leaseholder responsibilities clearly and in plain English — so there are no surprises and everyone understands what is expected of them.

The freeholder is the owner of the land on which a development is built. They are usually the legal entity ultimately responsible for the management of the building — whether they manage it directly or appoint a managing agent to do so on their behalf.

Freeholders can take a number of forms. They may be private investors, institutional landlords, house builders or developers who have retained the freehold after selling individual leases. In some cases, the freehold is owned collectively by the leaseholders themselves through a Residents Management Company — meaning the residents effectively own both their individual flats and the building as a whole.

The freeholder owns the land and building in which leaseholders' properties sit. With that ownership comes a range of legal and contractual responsibilities — set out in the lease and in statute — to ensure the building is properly maintained, insured and managed.

Key freeholder responsibilities include:

• Maintaining and repairing the structure and exterior of the building

• Maintaining and cleaning all communal areas including hallways, stairwells, lifts and gardens

• Arranging adequate buildings insurance for the whole building

• Setting and administering service charges in accordance with the lease and the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985

• Consulting leaseholders on major works under Section 20

• Providing their name and address on all service charge and ground rent demands

• Complying with health and safety obligations

• Respecting leaseholders' right to quiet enjoyment of their property

Where a freeholder appoints a managing agent, those responsibilities do not disappear — the freeholder remains legally accountable for ensuring they are met. This is why choosing the right managing agent matters.

At Integrity, we ensure that every obligation owed to leaseholders is met properly, documented clearly and delivered to the standard the law requires.

A managing agent is appointed by the freeholder, RMC or RTM company to carry out the day-to-day management of a building on their behalf. Whilst the freeholder or client company remains legally responsible, the managing agent takes on the operational responsibilities of running the building — and is accountable for carrying them out properly and professionally.

A managing agent's core responsibilities include:

• Day-to-day management and maintenance of the building and communal areas

• Instructing and overseeing contractors and ensuring works are carried out to a proper standard

• Preparing and managing the annual service charge budget

• Collecting service charges and ground rent on behalf of the client

• Holding all client funds in dedicated, separate client accounts

• Preparing annual service charge accounts

• Ensuring the building meets all health, safety and compliance obligations

• Managing Section 20 consultations for qualifying major works

• Communicating clearly and promptly with directors and leaseholders

• Keeping directors informed and involved in decisions that affect the building

• Membership of an approved redress scheme

At Integrity, we are a registered member of the Property Redress Scheme and operate to the standards set by The Property Institute — ensuring our clients have the protection, accountability and professionalism they deserve.