What is Right to Manage and does my building qualify?

The tests in the Act are about the building and the leases. None of them is about how well the building is managed.

Your building qualifies if

• It is a self-contained building, or a self-contained part of a building.
• It has at least two flats held by qualifying tenants.
• At least two-thirds of all the flats are held by qualifying tenants.

A qualifying tenant is usually a leaseholder whose lease was granted for more than 21 years. Some other leases also count, such as a shared ownership lease where the owner holds 100%. Joint owners count together as the one qualifying tenant of their flat.

Your building does not qualify if

• More than 50% of the internal floor area is non-residential, such as shops or offices. This limit was 25% before 3 March 2025.
• The immediate landlord is a local housing authority.
• It has four or fewer units and meets the resident landlord exemption. A landlord living in the building does not by itself make it exempt.
• Right to Manage was used there and ended less than four years ago. A tribunal can waive this.

Get advice first: connected buildings, shared podiums and undercroft car parks make it harder to tell whether a building qualifies. Get specialist advice before serving the claim notice.