10 Questions to Ask Your Managing Agent (And How to Get Answers)

Most leaseholders in UK blocks have a managing agent handling day-to-day building management on behalf of their freeholder or, if RTM has been exercised, on behalf of their RTM company. The quality of that relationship - how transparent the agent is, how quickly they respond, how well they manage money - has an enormous impact on the quality of life in the building.

Yet many leaseholders don't know what they're entitled to ask, or assume the agent will be defensive if they push for information. In most cases, the opposite is true: a good managing agent welcomes engaged, informed clients. And if yours doesn't, that itself is telling.

Here are ten questions worth asking - and what to do if you don't get satisfactory answers.

1. Can you provide the full year-end accounts with supporting invoices?

You are legally entitled to this under Section 22 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. The accounts should show every item of expenditure for the service charge year, with the underlying invoices available for inspection on request. If the agent is slow to produce these or provides summary figures without detail, that warrants scrutiny.

What to look for: Management fees, insurance costs, maintenance contracts, reserve fund contributions. Compare this year's actuals to the budget. Large unexplained variances are a red flag.

2. What is the current balance in the reserve (sinking) fund?

The reserve fund is money collected from service charge payers and set aside for future major works - roof replacement, lift refurbishment, external decoration, and so on. A well-managed building builds this up steadily over time so that major works don't require sudden large balancing demands.

Ask for the current balance and where it's held. It should be in a separate, designated account - not co-mingled with the agent's general funds or the freeholder's accounts.

3. What major works are planned or anticipated in the next 2-5 years?

A good managing agent maintains a planned maintenance schedule - a forward-looking document that lists when key building elements are expected to need attention and at what approximate cost. This is best practice under the RICS Service Charge Management Code.

If your agent doesn't have one, ask why and request that one be prepared. If major works are being planned, ask whether a Section 20 consultation will be required (it almost certainly will if any leaseholder's contribution exceeds £250).

4. Has the building's insurance been placed competitively?

Buildings insurance is a significant cost in most service charge budgets, and it's one where managing agents sometimes earn commission from insurers - which they are required to disclose. You're entitled to see the insurance policy schedule and should check:

• The reinstatement value is up-to-date and appropriate for the building
• The policy covers all required risks (fire, flood, subsidence, third-party liability)
• Whether the agent receives a commission or introduction fee from the insurer
• When it was last competitively tendered

5. What are your response time commitments for repairs and maintenance?

Most professional managing agents have published response time targets: emergency responses within a few hours, urgent repairs within 24-48 hours, routine matters within a set number of days. Ask for these in writing and check whether they're being met.

If you have an issue tracker - formal or informal - review what's been logged against what's been resolved. Persistent outstanding items, especially those affecting safety or habitability, deserve an explanation and a committed resolution timeline.

6. Can you explain the management fee structure in detail?

Management fees should be clearly set out in the management agreement and in your service charge accounts. They may be a fixed annual sum, a percentage of total service charge expenditure, or a combination. Ask:

• Is the management fee index-linked? By what measure?
• Are there additional charges for specific services (e.g., administering major works, attending meetings, preparing accounts)?
• Does the fee include VAT?
• When was the fee last reviewed or competitively tendered?

7. How are contractors selected and approved?

A professionally managed building should have a process for selecting and approving contractors - including competitive tender for works above a certain value. Ask whether the agent has a panel of approved contractors and what criteria determine inclusion. Also ask whether any connected-party transactions exist (e.g., the agent recommending contractors in whom they or the freeholder have a financial interest).

Under the RICS Service Charge Management Code, agents should disclose any conflicts of interest, and the Association of Residential Managing Agents (ARMA) requires its members to follow an approved code of practice.

8. Are you a member of a professional body - and are you regulated?

Membership of ARMA (Association of Residential Managing Agents) or IRPM (Institute of Residential Property Management) indicates a commitment to professional standards and ongoing training. Ask whether your agent is a member and whether they follow the RICS Service Charge Management Code.

Also ask about their complaints procedure. Every managing agent should have a formal complaints process and should be a member of a government-approved Redress Scheme (The Property Ombudsman or Property Redress Scheme). If they're not, that's a serious concern - and you should raise it.

9. What is the process for reporting a maintenance issue, and how are issues tracked?

Ask how you should report maintenance issues, what confirmation you'll receive that the issue has been logged, and how you'll be updated on progress. A well-run agent will have a documented process - and ideally a system that gives you visibility of open and resolved items.

If residents regularly report issues by email and receive no acknowledgement or resolution confirmation, that points to a broken process. It also means there's no audit trail when disputes arise later about whether something was reported and actioned.

10. Can we have a regular update meeting - quarterly or annually?

The best managing agents hold regular meetings with their clients - either the freeholder, the RMC directors, or the RTM company board. These meetings review the budget, discuss upcoming works, flag any issues, and keep everyone aligned.

If your agent has never suggested or offered such a meeting, ask for one. If they're resistant or too busy, that tells you something about how they view the relationship.

What to do if you're not getting satisfactory answers

If you ask these questions and consistently receive vague, delayed, or dismissive responses:

• Put everything in writing - email is better than phone calls. A paper trail is essential if you later need to escalate.
• Escalate to the freeholder - if the managing agent is employed by the freeholder, write formally to the freeholder outlining your concerns.
• Use the formal complaints procedure - the agent's membership of a Redress Scheme means there's an external body you can escalate to if internal complaints aren't resolved.
• Consider collective action - if multiple leaseholders share concerns, a collective approach carries more weight. Forming or activating a residents' association gives you a formal mechanism for collective representations.
• Consider RTM - if the problems are systemic, exercising the Right to Manage gives you the ability to appoint a different agent entirely.

Information is the foundation of accountability. The more transparently your building is managed - and the more visible issues, expenditure, and communications are to all stakeholders - the harder it is for problems to be ignored or concealed.

References and further reading

• Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 - governs leaseholder rights to service charge accounts, invoices, and Section 20 consultation
• LEASE - Managing Agents guidance - free, impartial guidance on managing agent obligations and how to hold them to account
• ARMA (Association of Residential Managing Agents) - industry body whose members commit to a code of practice; useful for checking your agent's membership and complaints procedure
• RICS Service Charge Residential Management Code (4th edition) - professional standard your agent should be following, effective 7 April 2026
• First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) - can determine whether service charges are reasonable and whether a management audit is warranted

Marklet is block management software for UK directors and leaseholders - giving RMC and RTM directors a single place to track issues, archive every communication with their managing agent, and monitor service charges against budget. Free to start.