How to Complain About a Managing Agent: ARMA, TPO and the Property Chamber

Why Managing Agent Complaints Are Different

Managing agents occupy an unusual position: they are appointed by the landlord (or a residents' management company), but their decisions directly affect leaseholders who had no say in their appointment. This creates a power imbalance that the law and professional bodies try to address.

There are several routes available to leaseholders and landlords who are dissatisfied with their managing agent. The right route depends on what you are complaining about.

Who Regulates Managing Agents?

Unlike solicitors or surveyors, property managing agents are not subject to statutory regulation in the same way. However, several frameworks apply:

• Membership of a redress scheme — since 2014, managing agents in England must belong to a government-approved redress scheme (either The Property Ombudsman or the Property Redress Scheme)
• ARMA membership (voluntary) — the Association of Residential Managing Agents is the leading professional body; members follow the ARMA Consumer Charter and Standards
• RICS regulation — managing agents that are RICS-accredited firms are subject to RICS professional standards

Step 1: Use the Managing Agent's Internal Complaints Procedure

Before escalating to any external body, you must exhaust the firm's own complaints process. Write a formal complaint letter to a senior person in the firm (not just your day-to-day contact). Include:

• A clear description of the failure (e.g. unreasonable delay in organising repairs; lack of response to maintenance requests; opaque service charge accounting)
• The dates and evidence of the failure
• What you want to happen

If you use Property Passport UK, your property records and stored correspondence will support a detailed, evidenced complaint letter.

Allow 8 weeks for a response.

Step 2: If the Agent Belongs to ARMA

ARMA members must follow the ARMA Consumer Charter. If you believe the agent has breached the Charter standards, you can raise a formal complaint with ARMA at arma.org.uk/consumers/make-a-complaint.

ARMA can investigate and, if a breach is found, require the member to take corrective action. It cannot award compensation but can influence the agent's conduct.

Step 3: Escalate to the Redress Scheme

If the agent's response is unsatisfactory and 8 weeks have passed, escalate to whichever redress scheme the agent belongs to:

• The Property Ombudsman (TPO) — tpos.co.uk
• The Property Redress Scheme (PRS) — theprs.co.uk

Both can consider complaints from landlords and, in some cases, leaseholders who have been directly affected by the agent's conduct. They can award up to £25,000 in compensation.

Typical grounds for TPO or PRS complaints about managing agents:

• Failure to carry out agreed maintenance within a reasonable time
• Failure to provide service charge accounts or receipts on request
• Charging fees not disclosed in the management agreement
• Conflicts of interest (e.g. using connected contractors without disclosure)

Step 4: First-tier Tribunal Applications

Where the complaint relates to the reasonableness of service charges, or the appointment or removal of the managing agent, the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) has jurisdiction:

• Service charge disputes — under Section 27A, Landlord and Tenant Act 1985
• Appointment of a manager — under Section 24, Landlord and Tenant Act 1987 (leaseholders can apply for a court-appointed manager to replace a managing agent where the agent has been seriously deficient)
• Right to Manage — leaseholders in qualifying buildings can collectively take over management by forming a Right to Manage company, without needing to prove fault on the landlord's part

The Section 24 route (appointment of manager) is particularly powerful where a managing agent has persistently failed. The tribunal can remove the agent and appoint a new one, with the costs of the application potentially awarded against the landlord.

Step 5: Right to Manage

If you and your fellow leaseholders simply want to take management away from the current agent regardless of fault, the Right to Manage (RTM) process under the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 may be the cleanest solution. RTM allows qualifying leaseholders (broadly: more than 50% of flats must participate, and the building must meet certain criteria) to take over management by forming an RTM company. This requires formal notices and a process managed through the FTT if the landlord objects.

Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE)

LEASE (lease-advice.org) provides free, impartial guidance to leaseholders on all aspects of leasehold law, including complaints about managing agents and tribunal applications. It is an excellent first port of call before committing to formal proceedings.