Your path to self-managing your block.

Taking over the management of your building sounds bigger than it is. Here’s how it works, step by step, with us alongside you the whole way.

Three ways a building ends up in residents' hands

Most self-managed blocks got there by one of these routes. Here's how they differ — and which one this guide covers.

Right to Manage

A legal right to take over the day-to-day running of your building, without having to prove anyone has done anything wrong. Your freeholder keeps the freehold; you take over managing the place. This is the route the steps below walk through.

A residents' management company

Often set up when the building was first built, with the lease making the company responsible for looking after it. In most cases you became a member when you bought your flat, so there's nothing to take over — you're already running things.

Buying the freehold together

Leaseholders club together to buy the freehold outright, so you own the building as well as manage it. A bigger and costlier step than Right to Manage, and a property purchase rather than a change of management. You'll usually set up a management company to run things afterwards.

This is general information, not legal advice — which route fits depends on your building and its leases. LEASE is the government-funded advice service, and it covers all three — free of charge.

Where are you starting from?

Pick the closest fit — we'll tailor the guide as you go.

Already have a managing agent?

You don't have to replace them to use SavvyPlace. Many residents use the platform alongside their existing agent — to track maintenance in one place, share documents, hold votes on building decisions, and keep clear oversight of what's happening in their block.

Or read the steps below to take over management

Step 1:
Check it's right for your building
Right to Manage is a no-fault legal route — you don't have to prove your agent's done anything wrong. But the building does need to qualify: at least two flats, at least two-thirds of flats held on long leases, and no more than 50% non-residential floor space (this threshold rose from 25% in March 2025, bringing many more mixed-use buildings into scope). Most blocks of flats meet this comfortably.
Read your lease. Check eligibility against the criteria above.
Step 2:
Talk to your neighbours
You'll need at least half of the qualifying leaseholders on board. Start informally — a coffee, a WhatsApp group, a chat in the lobby. Most neighbours who've had a frustrating experience with an agent will be quietly relieved someone's raising it.
Get a sense of who's interested. Aim for at least half of qualifying leaseholders.
Step 3:
Form your RTM company
Your RTM company is a private company limited by guarantee, registered with Companies House. It's straightforward — there are standard Articles of Association for RTM companies, and registration costs around £50. You'll need at least one director (this can be a leaseholder) and a registered office address. Your agent can't stop this step — it happens entirely outside their control.
Register at Companies House. Keep your incorporation certificate safe — you'll need the company number later.
Step 4:
Serve the Claim Notice
This is the formal legal step that starts the clock. Your RTM company serves a Claim Notice on the freeholder and your current managing agent. There's a strict format — get a solicitor or use a reputable template. The notice sets the date you'll take over, which must be at least three months in the future. Since March 2025 you're no longer on the hook for the freeholder's costs of dealing with your claim, which removed one of the biggest deterrents to getting started.
Serve the Claim Notice on the freeholder (and current agent, if there is one). Set a take-over date at least three months out.
Step 5:
Prepare to take over
The statutory wait period is at least three months — but it's far from dead time. This is when you line up everything your new RTM company will need from day one: building insurance quotes, a business bank account, copies of existing contracts, service charge accounts, and a handover plan with your outgoing agent. A cup of tea, a checklist, and some quiet weekends will get you there.
Open the company bank account. Gather insurance quotes. Prepare your handover checklist.
Step 6:
Welcome to self-management
On your take-over date, management responsibility transfers to your RTM company. Your old agent hands over documents and any service charge funds they hold. From this point on, you and your neighbours run the building — and SavvyPlace gives you the tools to do it without drowning in spreadsheets and group chats.
Onboard your residents. Start your 30-day free trial of SavvyPlace.