Leasehold

An RTM company has hired a managing agent. Who does the survey say is collecting the service charge?

The survey does not name the collector. An RTM company may manage directly or hire an agent, and in either case the company is the body that collects the service charge and looks after communal areas and structure such as the roof. A hired agent is a contractor of that company. The inspection did not read the management agreement or the demands.

Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.

What is the fuller explanation?

Buyers see an agent's logo on a demand and assume the old landlord company is still in charge, or the reverse: they see the letters RTM and assume no agent exists. GOV.UK's Right to Manage guide allows either arrangement. Taking over management does not force the leaseholders to run the cleaning contract from a kitchen table. The landlord still owns the building. What changes is who manages. The survey of one flat does not identify the payee on the demand and does not audit where the money goes after the agent receives it.

Ask the solicitor for the demands, the management agreement and the name on the account the service charge is paid into. Put the survey's comments about the roof and the stairs next to that, so you know what the company is supposed to be looking after. Do not email the surveyor to ask who invoices you. They were not instructed to trace the money. Leaseholders can take over without the landlord's agreement and without proving bad management, and they can still pay a firm to do the day-to-day work.

What should you ask your surveyor?

Did you see a demand or an agent's board, or only the building?
Are you leaving the name of the collector to the solicitor?
Which communal items in the report would that company be looking after?

What are the typical next steps?

Ask the solicitor who collects the service charge in practice.
Do not treat a hired agent as proof the RTM company has stepped aside.
Read the roof and stair comments as the building, not as the invoice.

Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.

Also asked about this

If an agent sends the bill, has Right to Manage failed?

No. Hiring an agent is allowed. The company can still be the body responsible for management.

Does the landlord collect the service charge once an RTM company exists?

No. The RTM company collects it. The landlord still owns the building, which is a different point.