What is a residents' association?

A residents' association is a group of leaseholders in a block who come together to represent their interests - typically in dealings with a freeholder or managing agent. It can run informally, or it can become a recognised tenants' association (RTA): section 29 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 says an association of qualifying tenants is recognised either by notice in writing from the landlord to the association's secretary, or by a certificate of the First-tier Tribunal in England or a member of the local rent assessment committee panel in Wales. Recognition is a status conferred on an association that already exists, and it is what carries the statutory rights: under section 30B the association may serve notice asking to be consulted about the appointment or employment of a managing agent, and under the Section 20 consultation regulations the landlord's notices go to the association as well as to each tenant, and on the procedures where the landlord goes on to obtain estimates the association may put forward a contractor of its own.

What's the difference between a residents' association and an RMC?

A Residents' Management Company (RMC) is a company that is a party to the lease, whose members are the leaseholders, and it usually carries the repairing obligation; some RMCs also own the freehold, but an RMC does not have to. Its management responsibility comes from the lease. A residents' association represents leaseholders in dealings with whoever manages the block, but does not manage it directly, and it is typically run by officers rather than a board of directors; section 29 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 has the landlord's recognition notice given to the association's secretary. Both benefit from block management software to track issues and scrutinise service charges.

Can an association use Marklet without formal recognition?

Yes - you don't need to be a recognised tenants' association to use Marklet. Any group of leaseholders can sign up and start tracking issues, and service charges from the Oversight plan up. Recognition under section 29 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 is a separate matter between the association and the landlord or the tribunal, and it is what carries the statutory rights described above.

How does Marklet help with service charge scrutiny?

On the Oversight plan and above, Marklet lets you track every service charge line item against budget, link invoices to the issues they relate to, and flag anything that doesn't add up. When your annual accounts arrive, you already have a structured record of what was agreed, what work was done, and what communications support each charge.

Can we invite our managing agent to Marklet?

Yes. Updating and retriaging issues is a Block Manager permission, so an agent who is going to work in the block is invited at that level; below it, a leaseholder can raise an issue and edit the title, description, labels and files of one they raised themselves, but not its status, priority or category, and not anyone else's issue. Removing people, connecting accounting systems and changing block settings stay above Block Manager, with the account's own admins, so oversight stays on your side.

Which accounting systems do you integrate with?

Marklet integrates with Xero, QuickBooks Online, Sage Accounting, and FreeAgent, so service charge spend reconciles against demands and invoices without manual data entry. Accounting integrations are included on the Management and Enterprise plans.

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Residents' Association · Block Management Software

Block management software for residents' associations

Organise your block. Scrutinise the charges. Hold your agent to account.

Whether you're an informal residents' association, a recognised tenants' association or a fully constituted RMC, Marklet gives your officers and directors a single platform to track issues, monitor service charges, and keep a record of every communication with your managing agent.

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What a residents' association needs

The tools to track, question, and challenge.

Marklet issues tracker showing open and resolved issues with status badges

Issue tracking

Log every maintenance problem, track its progress, and build an evidence trail so nothing gets lost between director handovers.

Marklet service charges showing budget vs actuals charts and invoice breakdown

Service charge scrutiny

Compare every line item against budget, flag the variances, and go into every AGM with the numbers at your fingertips. On the Oversight plan and above.

Marklet email archive showing threaded email list with search

Communication archive

Every email thread, linked to the issue it relates to (and, through that issue, to any related invoices). Searchable, and yours - the full history on a paid plan, the last six months on the free one.

Built for leaseholder-led management

Running a formal Residents' Management Company or an RTM company? Marklet has dedicated workflows for both.

No technical knowledge needed

Invite officers, leaseholders, or your managing agent

Works for both informal associations and formal RMCs

Free forever plan - up to 10 units, 10 open issues and six months of email history

Getting set up

No IT knowledge needed. New accounts are checked before the workspace opens, and an association with no registered company behind it has nothing on the register to check, so a person reviews it by hand and comes back to you.

1
Create your organisation
Sign up free and add your building - address, number of units, and your role at it: an officer of a recognised tenants' association, a director or secretary of the company, or something else.
2
Invite your fellow officers and leaseholders
Add your members with role-based access. Managers get full visibility; leaseholders can raise and follow open issues, plus see service charge headlines where the plan carries service charges.
3
Start logging issues
Log any open maintenance issues or service charge concerns. Each issue gets a full history of updates, linked communications, and any supporting documents.
4
Archive your managing agent emails
Forward email from any provider (including Gmail and Outlook) to your block's Marklet address to pull in your email threads with the managing agent. Every promise, every instruction, every response - searchable and permanent.
5
Monitor service charges against budget
On the Oversight plan and above, enter your service charge budget line by line and track actual spend as invoices arrive. Flag variances before your AGM and go in prepared.

Frequently asked questions

Start organising your block today

Free to start. We'll get you set up.

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