What does the job involve day to day?
A block manager looks after the shared parts of residential buildings: the structure, roof, corridors, lifts, grounds and the services that keep them running. The lease decides what you can do and who pays, so reading leases properly is the base skill. You set an annual budget, issue service charge demands, chase arrears and account for the money at year end. You handle consent requests, complaints and repairs reports from leaseholders, and you visit buildings to check cleaning, gardening and maintenance contractors are doing what they are paid to do.
Most managers carry a portfolio of buildings at once, from small converted houses to large purpose-built developments with concierge staff. The mix changes the workload. A four-flat conversion might need one site visit a quarter and a simple budget. A large estate with lifts, plant, a reserve fund and mixed tenure needs regular inspections, long-term contracts and constant contact with residents. You also attend or run annual meetings for residents' management companies (RMCs) and right to manage (RTM) companies, and you report to their directors.
How does section 20 consultation work?
Section 20 is the legal process that stops leaseholders being charged too much for major works, and running it is a large part of the job. The landlord, or the agent acting for it, must consult before doing works that would cost any one leaseholder more than £250 including VAT, such as a roof or lift replacement. It also applies to agreements lasting more than 12 months that cost any one leaseholder more than £100 a year, for example cleaning or gardening contracts.
For works there are usually three stages: a notice of intention, then a statement of estimates, then a notice of reasons for choosing the contractor. Leaseholders can comment and can nominate a contractor. The whole process takes several months. Get it wrong and the landlord may only be able to recover £250 per leaseholder for works, or £100 for a long-term agreement, unless a tribunal grants dispensation. One-year contracts that are renewed each year, such as buildings insurance and the managing agent's own contract, do not count as long-term agreements.
What building safety duties come with the role?
In England, a high-rise residential building has at least 7 storeys or is at least 18 metres high, and has at least 2 homes. It must be registered with the Building Safety Regulator before anyone lives there. The accountable person is whoever owns the common parts or has a legal duty under a lease to repair them. A managing agent working only under a maintenance contract is not the accountable person. In practice, block managers do much of the work for the accountable person: keeping the golden thread of building information, preparing a resident engagement strategy and passing building information to residents.
Below that height you still deal with fire risk assessments, health and safety on site and contractor checks. The RICS Service Charge Residential Management Code sets out good practice for leasehold management. Its 4th edition took effect on 7 April 2026 and reflects the Building Safety Act 2022 and the Fire Safety Act 2021. The 3rd edition still applies to tribunal disputes about things that happened before that date.
Who employs block managers, and what skills matter?
Most block managers work for managing agents, which are appointed by freeholders, RMCs or RTM companies. Some work directly for developers, housing associations or large landlords. The Property Institute, the professional body for residential property managers in England, Scotland and Wales, states that a professional qualification from it is required for most property management jobs.
The skills that count are reading leases, basic accounting and budgeting, writing clear notices, and staying calm in residents' meetings when costs are rising. You need enough building knowledge to judge a contractor's quote and enough legal knowledge to know when to call a solicitor. The rules are changing. The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 brings standard service charge demand forms and annual reporting for landlords and managing agents. The government has also committed to mandatory qualifications for managing agents.
Pay
GBP a year, before tax. Figures come from the Office for National Statistics Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, April 2026 (provisional), for the wider property management group, brought up to the current year with a wage index. Regional figures are modelled. The UK median is £46,800. Portfolio size, high-rise experience and a TPI or RICS qualification push pay up. Refer to the Block Management salary guide for figures from live adverts.
What you need
- No licence yetThere is no mandatory licence or qualification for block managers today. The UK and Welsh governments consulted from 4 July to 26 September 2025 on reforms that include mandatory qualifications for managing agents.
- TPI Level 3 Leasehold ManagementAn Ofqual-accredited Level 3 qualification with 13 modules, studied online, ending in a 1.5-hour remotely proctored exam held four times a year. Passing it upgrades you to Associate membership with the letters ATPI.
- Exam timingYou get 18 months' access to the course modules. If you do not sit the exam within 18 months of buying the course, you pay an extra £110 to sit it.
- Lease and law knowledgeYou need a working grasp of landlord and tenant law, section 20 consultation and the role of the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber). TPI's introductory TC1 course covers these for people with under six months' experience.
- Building safety awarenessFor buildings of 7 storeys or 18 metres in England, you support the accountable person with registration, the golden thread of information and resident engagement.
- Financial skillsSetting budgets, issuing service charge demands, managing reserve funds and producing year-end accounts are core tasks.
How to get there
- EntryJoin as an assistant or traineeStart as an assistant block manager or property administrator at a managing agent. Lettings staff often move across into leasehold work.
- First six monthsTake an introductory courseTPI's TC1 Introduction to Residential Property Management is designed for people with under six months' experience and maps onto the Level 3 and Level 4 syllabuses.
- Within 18 months of enrollingPass TPI Level 3Complete the 13-module online course and the 1.5-hour exam to become an Associate member (ATPI).
- Once qualifiedRun your own portfolioTake on a portfolio of buildings, run section 20 consultations, budgets and residents' meetings without supervision.
- Mid careerMove up to senior or high-rise workProgress to senior block manager or portfolio lead, often taking on complex estates or higher-risk buildings, and continue to TPI Level 4.
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Questions people ask
Do you need a qualification to be a block manager?
Not by law at present. The government has committed to introducing mandatory qualifications for managing agents and consulted on it in 2025. Most employers already expect a qualification from The Property Institute, usually the Level 3 Leasehold Management, which gives you the ATPI letters.
What is the difference between a block manager and a residential property manager?
A block manager deals with the shared parts of leasehold buildings and the service charges that pay for them, working for the freeholder or residents' company. A residential property manager more often looks after individual rented homes for landlords. The legal frameworks overlap but the client and the paperwork differ.
What happens if section 20 consultation is not done properly?
The landlord may only be able to recover £250 per leaseholder for major works, or £100 a year for a long-term agreement. The landlord can ask the tribunal for dispensation, but that is not guaranteed. Getting consultation right is one of the most important parts of a block manager's job.
Is a managing agent the accountable person for a high-rise building?
Not usually. The accountable person is whoever owns the common parts or must repair them under a lease. A management company that only has a contract to carry out maintenance is not the accountable person, although the block manager often does much of the safety administration for them.
How much does a block manager earn?
Across the UK the middle half earn roughly £36,200 to £65,800 a year, with a median of £46,800, based on modelled ONS data for property management roles. London runs higher, at about £42,600 to £77,400. Assistant and trainee roles pay below these ranges.
Sources
- LEASE: Responding to Section 20 consultation on major works and long-term agreements
- The Property Institute: Level 3 Leasehold Management
- The Property Institute: Introduction to Residential Property Management TC1
- The Property Institute: home page
- GOV.UK: Safety in high-rise residential buildings, accountable persons
- GOV.UK: Strengthening leaseholder protections over charges and services consultation
- GOV.UK: Leasehold toolkit, England
- RICS: Service Charge Residential Management Code
- LEASE: How to appoint and employ a managing agent for your block
