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Leaseholders & Directors

Every statutory obligation. How many is your building actually meeting?

Check your building against the obligations directors carry under fire safety law, the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, the Building Safety Act 2022, the Companies Act 2006, and the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. See what's compliant, what's at risk, and what needs immediate attention. Whether you are a director checking your own compliance or a leaseholder checking your directors, this page has the tools you need.

This audit is for general information only - not legal advice. Always seek professional advice before acting.

What's covered Manual vs BLOCK-iQ Key stats For leaseholders How BLOCK-iQ works Quick check Document triage Stay updated
Why an audit is the safer choice

You'd rather find it than have the HSE find it. Or the tribunal. Or a leaseholder with a solicitor.

Directors often put audits off because they are scared of what will surface. That is the wrong comparison. The comparison is not "audit or don't audit". It is "find it yourself or have it found for you." A gap you spot in an audit is something you can close. A gap the enforcement authority spots is a personal liability problem that is already in motion.

Quick check

How compliant is your building?

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Just inherited the role?

The audit can wait. Try the First 90 Days pathway first. It is a 9-step plan that has the audit baked in at the right point, so you do not start by panicking at a long list of gaps.

First, tell us who you are

This changes which obligations we check and how we frame the results.

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I'm a director
SoF, RTM, or resident management company. I'm personally liable.
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I'm a freeholder of a converted house
Victorian / Edwardian terrace, 2–6 flats. No company, no agent. I collect ground rent or service charge informally.
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I'm a leaseholder
I want to know if my building is being managed properly.
Audit scope

The four areas directors are personally accountable for

Your building must meet statutory requirements in each of these areas. Each one carries personal director liability where things go wrong; each is what the audit below checks.

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Fire safety compliance

Is a fire risk assessment in place, current, and properly documented? Are findings acted on? The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005Article 9 requires a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment. Must be reviewed regularly (typically annually) or after significant changes. legislation.gov.uk requires regular review. Non-compliance is a criminal offence for the responsible person.

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Service charge obligations

Are service charge accounts certified, issued within the statutory timeframe, and accompanied by a summary of rights? Section 21 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985Requires a written summary of costs. Must comply within one month of request or six months after the accounting year-end (whichever is later). Certification required where 4+ dwellings. legislation.gov.uk sets the requirements.

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Companies House filings

Are annual confirmation statements, accounts, and director notifications filed on time? Late filing incurs automatic penaltiesCompanies Act 2006. Penalties range from £150 to £1,500 depending on how late. Persistent non-compliance can lead to involuntary strike-off and criminal prosecution of directors. Gov.uk. Persistent non-compliance can lead to strike-off and personal director prosecution.

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Insurance & Health & Safety

Is buildings insurance adequate and current? Are health and safety obligations under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974Section 37 provides that directors can be held personally liable where an offence is committed with their consent, connivance, or neglect. legislation.gov.uk being met? Directors carry personal liability for gaps in cover and compliance.

How to conduct your audit

How to find out what you don't know you're missing

Audit manually. Or let BLOCK-iQ guide you through every obligation and track everything automatically.

Manual audit
1. Check fire risk assessment currency

Locate your fire risk assessment. Is it dated within the last 12 months? Is it signed off by a competent personFor smaller, lower-risk buildings (typically under 4 storeys with no cladding concerns), a director with appropriate knowledge can carry out or review the fire risk assessment themselves. For higher-risk or more complex buildings, a qualified fire risk assessor is recommended. The key test is competence, not certification. GOV.UK fire safety guidance? Are findings documented and being acted on? If you have no assessment, you're in breach.

2. Review service charge accounts

Locate your last issued accounts. Were they certified? Were they sent to leaseholders within the statutory timeframe? Did you include a summary of leaseholder rights? Review all requests you've received and check you responded within the required period.

3. Audit Companies House records

Check Companies House directly. Are your confirmation statements and accounts up to date? Have all director changes been notified? Missing deadlines trigger automatic penalties; search for any current penalties against your company.

4. Verify insurance coverage

Review your buildings insurance policy. Is the sum insured adequate for the property's full rebuilding costIf your building is underinsured and a claim arises, the insurer can apply "average" and reduce the payout proportionally. For example, if the building is insured for £2m but the rebuilding cost is £4m, the insurer may only pay 50% of any claim. Directors can be held personally liable for the shortfall. Get a professional reinstatement valuation, not just an estate agent's market value.? When does it expire? Do you have evidence that it's been maintained without gaps? Check for exclusions in the fine printCommon policy exclusions that catch directors out: unoccupied flats (most policies void cover after 30-60 days of a unit being empty), lack of maintenance (insurers can refuse claims if the building wasn't properly maintained), undisclosed subletting or Airbnb use, and gradual damage exclusions (slow leaks vs sudden events). Review the policy conditions, not just the cover summary. that could void a claim. Underinsurance is personal liability for directors.

5. Document your compliance trail

Collect evidence of all your actions: dated records, signed decisions, correspondence, filed certificates. If challenged, you'll need to prove you acted. A collection of emails isn't enough - you need documented decisions.

⚠️ Important: You're responsible even if you've delegated to a managing agent. Missing compliance is personal director liability regardless of delegation.

With BLOCK-iQ

BLOCK-iQ tracks your compliance obligations in one dashboard:

Fire risk assessment, emergency lighting, EICR, AOV, H&S risk assessment - each with last-done and next-due dates, flagged when overdue
Buildings insurance and D&O insurance - provider, policy, expiry and sum insured in one place
Companies House details with direct links to your filing history and director records
Occupancy register, subletting compliance, and evacuation planning tracked per unit
Service charges, open issues, expiring documents, and leaseholder service requests - all visible from the dashboard
Live dashboard
Every compliance item dated, tracked, and flagged - so nothing gets missed.

No card needed. Pilot capacity is limited. We respond within 24 hours.

Compliance by the numbers

Unlimited fines. 317,985 penalties last year. And most directors have no training.

Compliance isn't optional. Regulators are enforcing harder than ever. Most volunteer directors have no formal training on their legal obligations.

Unlimited finesRegulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Non-compliance is a criminal offence. Crown Court penalties include unlimited fines and/or up to 2 years' imprisonment. Gov.uk
Fire safety non-compliance is a criminal offence for the responsible person. Penalties on conviction in the Crown Court include unlimited fines or up to 2 years' imprisonment.
317,985Source: Companies House Independent Adjudicators Report 2024-2025. Penalties for late filing of accounts in the year to April 2025. Gov.uk
late filing penalties issued by Companies House in the year to April 2025. RTM and share-of-freehold companies face identical filing obligations and penalties as any private limited company.
21Building Trust tracks 21 distinct statutory obligations across fire safety, service charges, Companies House filings, insurance, and health and safety. Based on legislative requirements from multiple Acts.
statutory obligations that directors of RTM and share-of-freehold companies must meet. Service charge disputes are the single largest category at the First-tier Tribunal, often triggered by directors failing to issue accounts on time or failing to consult.

The Building Safety Act 2022The Building Safety Act 2022 introduced a new regulatory regime. The most stringent requirements (including the Building Safety Regulator) apply to higher-risk buildings, typically those 18 metres or more in height, or 7+ storeys, with at least 2 residential units. legislation.gov.uk, Fire Safety Act 2021Clarified that the Fire Safety Order applies to the structure and external walls (including cladding) of multi-occupied residential buildings. legislation.gov.uk, and Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024Royal Assent: 24 May 2024. Expands leaseholder rights and transparency requirements. Most provisions awaiting secondary legislation. legislation.gov.uk have all expanded director obligations in the last three years.

For leaseholders

Your directors carry statutory obligations to you. This audit checks whether they're delivering.

You can use this audit to understand whether your directors are meeting their statutory obligations - and what recourse you have if they're not.

How leaseholders benefit from a compliant building

Leaseholder view

Transparent service charge accounts

You have the right to certified accounts within the statutory timeframe and to inspect supporting documentsLandlord and Tenant Act 1985, s.22. Request a cost summary, then the landlord must provide inspection facilities within one month, available for two months. legislation.gov.uk. An audit ensures directors are meeting this obligation.

Fire safety - your right to know

Your building must have a current fire risk assessment. You can ask directors to show you it. If it doesn't exist, that's a criminal offence. An audit reveals whether this critical obligation is being met.

Proper consultation before major works

Section 20Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, s.20. Consultation required for qualifying works exceeding £250 per leaseholder or qualifying long-term agreements exceeding £100 per leaseholder per year. legislation.gov.uk requires directors to consult you before qualifying works or long-term agreements. An audit checks whether they're following this procedure - protecting you from unfair cost recovery.

Right to challenge and escalate

If directors aren't meeting obligations, you can apply to the First-tier TribunalFirst-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber). Handles disputes about service charges, administration charges, lease variations, and the right to manage. Gov.uk. LEASE-iQ helps you understand what your lease requires so you can challenge fairly and prove your case.

Use this audit to check whether your directors are meeting their obligations. LEASE-iQ can help you understand your lease and know your rights.

Learn about your rights with LEASE-iQ →
Directors & leaseholders

Upload what you have. We'll tell you what's missing.

You don't need to know what an FRA or EICR is. Drop your building documents here and we'll identify what they are, what's missing, and give you ready-made questions to ask your freeholder or managing agent.

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I'm a director
SoF, RTM, or resident management company. Show me everything I should have.
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I'm a leaseholder
Show me the documents I should have or have the right to see.

Tell us about your building

This takes 10 seconds and means we only flag documents that actually apply to your building. Pick the closest answer. "Not sure" is always fine.

How is your building managed?
When was your building built?
Does the building have a communal gas supply?
How tall is your building?
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Drop your building documents here

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Don't have your documents to hand? Use our checklist instead. Tick what you know you have and we'll show the gaps.

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Next steps

Four ways to take this further.

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