Understanding your Section 20B Notice

A Section 20B notice is a legal letter we’re required to send under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. It’s our way of letting you know that costs have been incurred for services provided to your building or estate over the past financial year.

Even though we don’t yet have the final figures ready, this notice ensures we’ve officially informed you that some costs were incurred and that you will be asked to contribute to them later through your service charges.

We’re still finalising the year-end accounts for the last financial year. While we work through this, the law requires us to let you know that costs have been paid out, even if the final totals haven’t been calculated yet. That’s what the Section 20B notice is for - it's about transparency and timing, not requesting payment.

No - this notice is for information only. There’s nothing you need to pay at this stage.

Once the accounts are complete, we’ll write to you again to let you know:

• The final total costs
• Your individual share
• Whether you need to pay more - or if you’re due a refund.

These are expenses we’ve already paid, for services like maintenance, repairs, or cleaning in your estate/block. You may see these in your final service charge statement.

If you’ve already made regular service charge payments, those will be factored into your final account. We’ll let you know if you’ve overpaid (and are due a refund) or if there’s a balance still outstanding.

Yes. If the final accounts show that you paid more than your share, we’ll refund the difference, either as a credit to your rent/service charge account or it will be carried forward and used to reduce your charges from April 2027, depending on the terms of your agreement with us.

If the accounts show that your contributions didn’t fully cover your share of the costs, we’ll let you know how much is still due and how to pay.

We’re working hard to finalise the accounts and will notify you as soon as they’re ready. While we can’t give a firm date yet, we’ll keep you updated.

They typically include services like general maintenance, cleaning, repairs, and upkeep of communal areas. You’ll receive a full breakdown in the final accounts.

Yes, absolutely. Once you receive your final statement, you can contact us if something doesn’t look right. We’re happy to go over the details with you.

Yes. Once you receive your final account, you can make a formal request under Section 22 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 to view the supporting invoices.

Your lease or tenancy agreement outlines how service charges are divided. Your share is based on that agreement and the total cost of services provided to your estate/block.

Once the final accounts are complete, we’ll:

1. Send you a detailed breakdown of costs
2. Let you know your individual contribution
3. Arrange any necessary payments or refunds.