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Leaseholder’s request for a summary of service charge costs (England and Wales)
England and Wales · in English · for tenants
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For a leaseholder of a flat or house in England or Wales who pays a variable service charge and wants to see how it is spent. Under sections 21 and 22 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 the letter asks the landlord or managing agent for a written summary of the costs for a service charge year and, if you already have a summary or the year-end accounts, for facilities to inspect the accounts, receipts and other supporting documents and take copies. Failing without reasonable excuse to comply is an offence. The Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE) publishes free model letters.
- Made for use in England and Wales
- Last updated October 28, 2026
- Document in English
Where a UK document reproduces the words of legislation or of a government publication — UK, Scottish or Northern Irish — it contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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When to use this document
- Your service charge on a leasehold flat in England or Wales has jumped and you want to see why.
- The managing agent keeps adding admin fees and will not explain them.
- You want to check the invoices and receipts behind last year’s service charge accounts.
- You want to ask the freeholder in writing for a summary of the service charge costs.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Leaseholder (full name)
- Leaseholder's address for letters
- Town or city
- Leaseholder's postcode
- Date
- Landlord (freeholder) or managing agent
- Their address, with the postcode on the last line
- Address of the property
- Service charge year to be covered (e.g. the year ending 31 December 2025)
- Date you received a summary or the year-end accounts (optional)
Common questions
- Where can a leaseholder challenge unreasonable service charges in England or Wales?
- In England, at the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber); in Wales, at the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal, part of the Residential Property Tribunal Wales. The tribunal decides whether charges are payable and reasonable (section 27A of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985). Ask for the summary and the documents first: they are your evidence. LEASE gives free advice.
- How long after receiving the summary can I ask to inspect the service charge receipts?
- Within six months of receiving the summary, whether you got it on request or with the year-end accounts (section 22). The landlord must give reasonable facilities to inspect the accounts, receipts and other supporting documents and to take copies, for two months starting no later than one month after your request; the inspection itself is free, though a reasonable charge can be made for copies.
- Will the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 change the right to a service charge summary?
- Yes, once its service-charge provisions come into force: landlords will have to give standard annual reports and accounts without being asked, and the request under section 21 will be replaced. The government expects this from 2027. On 28 October 2026 those provisions were not in force, so this letter uses the 1985 Act.
How you can sign this document
- Print it and sign by hand. The signature lines in the document are left blank on purpose — sign on them in ink.
- Sign it yourself with a qualified electronic signature. If you already hold a QES — Evrotrust, B-Trust, StampIT, ZealiD or any qualified provider on the EU Trusted List, on a card, a USB token, in a mobile app or in the cloud — our signing guide explains step by step how to sign this exact file without invalidating it. Step-by-step help, and a way to check it worked
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