Leasehold

A Section 20 notice in the pack names a different block on the same estate. Why should you not treat it as consultation for this roof?

Because the notice names a different block. Consultation about that block is not consultation about this roof. A Section 20 notice in the pack has to be read for the building it actually names. Same estate is not the same building. Do not borrow the notice, the works or the stage of consultation and apply them to the roof over your flat. Ask the solicitor whether any consultation exists for this block. Leave the other block's paper where it belongs.

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?

Estate packs often mix letters from several buildings. The heading is the part that matters. If the notice describes another block, it tells you nothing reliable about whether leaseholders here have been consulted on this roof. Treating it as if it did will make you think a process is under way that may not have started, or that a scope of works applies to a covering the survey rated separately.

Put the survey's roof comments next to the question the solicitor must ask: what notices, if any, name this block and this roof. Do not fill the gap with the other building's letter. Do not assume the works described next door are the works your rating needs. A notice is evidence of a process for the block it names. It is not a general permit for the whole estate, and it is not a specification for your ceiling.

What should you ask your surveyor?

Which roof did you rate, and does your note name this block only?
Should a notice for another block be kept out of your condition comment?
What should a quotation describe so it matches the roof you saw?

What are the typical next steps?

Do not treat the other block's Section 20 notice as consultation for this roof.
Ask the solicitor what notices actually name this block.
Match any roof quotation to the survey, not to the neighbouring letter.

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 the blocks share a managing agent, is the notice good for both?

No. A shared agent is not a shared consultation. The notice still has to name this block before you treat it as notice about this roof.

Can the surveyor extend the notice to your roof?

No. The survey describes condition. It cannot widen a notice that names a different block, and it should not be asked to.