Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what powers leaseholders have to challenge the actions of property management companies.

Leaseholders can challenge the action of a property management company in a number of ways, including:

• by making a formal complaint through their managing agent’s complaints procedure;
• by making a complaint to one of the Government-recognised redress schemes; and
• by exercising their ‘right to manage’.

In addition, where there is evidence of significant failings by the managing agent, leaseholders can ask the First-Tier Tribunal to appoint a new property manager.

We recognise there is more that can be done to help leaseholders challenge poor management practice. That is why on 1 April we announced plans to give leaseholders greater ability to do so. We will be improving the presentation of service charges so they can be better understood and more easily challenged. We want to empower leaseholders to switch managing agents where they perform poorly or break the terms of their contract.