Major Works & Section 20: When Is a Managing Agent Not Enough?

Property management comes with a lot of moving parts, but few things cause leaseholders more anxiety than major works. Whether it’s a full roof replacement, external redecoration, or structural repairs, these projects are expensive, time-consuming, and heavily regulated.

At Gena, we do things a little differently than most managing agents.

We believe in fairness and transparency, which is why we don’t charge extra fees for administering major works or handling Section 20 notices. While other agents use major works as an opportunity to tack on hefty administration percentages, we view basic Section 20 administration as part of our commitment to you. However, as projects grow in scale, it’s vital to understand where a managing agent’s job ends and where a specialist’s job must begin.

What We Do: The Basic Checks & Admin

For standard, straightforward maintenance, our team has you covered. As your managing agent, we handle the foundational administrative lifting at no extra cost, including:

• The Section 20 Process: Triggering the legal consultation periods, serving the required notices, and logistically managing leaseholder feedback.

• Basic Compliance Checks: Ensuring contractors have the right insurance, basic health and safety credentials, and relevant trade certifications.

• Financial Oversight: Collecting the necessary reserve funds or levying service charge demands to ensure the project is funded.

For a simple re-felting of a small flat roof or minor communal redecorations, this level of oversight is usually exactly what’s needed.

The Tipping Point: Backed by the New RICS Code

While we are experts in property management, we are not surveyors, structural engineers, or construction project managers. In fact, this distinction is explicitly reinforced by the RICS Service Charge Residential Management Code (4th Edition). The code makes it clear that major works and the project management of large-scale repairs fall under non-core management duties. Because these projects require highly specialist technical expertise, the industry standard explicitly recognizes that they sit outside standard day-to-day property management.

To look at it practically, core agent management responsibilities focus purely on the administrative and communicative side of things—like serving Section 20 notices, managing the collection of reserve funds, acting as the primary liaison, and performing basic compliance checks on contractor paperwork. On the flip side, non-core surveyor duties require technical precision. This involves writing the exact technical specifications, fielding and analyzing complex engineering tenders, physically inspecting the quality of work on-site, and formally signing off on structural stages before payments are released.

The Multi-Contractor Trap: The Danger of No "Lead"

One of the biggest risks in complex major works occurs when a project requires several different trades—such as scaffolders, roofers, bricklayers, and external decorators—but lacks a designated Lead Contractor or independent Project Manager to steer the ship.

When there is no single point of responsibility, communication quickly devolves into a chaotic game of telephone, and a dangerous "blame game" takes over. For example, if a newly repaired roof starts leaking, the roofer will inevitably blame the scaffolder for piercing the felt, the scaffolder will blame the bricklayer, and the bricklayer will point right back at the roofer. Because a managing agent does not have the technical expertise to referee these disputes, the building is left vulnerable. Without a lead contractor or a surveyor holding the ultimate structural accountability, trades can easily escape liability, leaving leaseholders to foot the bill for remedial fixes.

The Risk of "Cutting Corners" (Legal and Insurance Realities)

It might seem tempting to ask your managing agent to "just look after" a complex multi-trade project to save on professional fees, but doing so exposes a building to massive legal and financial risk.

A Quick Reality Check on Liability: > Managing agents carry Professional Indemnity Insurance for property administration, not for construction oversight or structural engineering. If a major project is executed incorrectly and a managing agent signed it off, the building's insurance and the agent's liability policy will not cover the damage.

Furthermore, under the CDM 2015 (Construction, Design and Management) Regulations, British law states that if a project involves more than one contractor, a Principal Contractor must be legally appointed in writing to coordinate health and safety. If no lead contractor or surveyor is formally designated to handle this setup, these severe statutory health and safety liabilities fall squarely back onto the leaseholders or the Resident Management Company (RMC) directors personally.

Why Investing in a Professional Saves Money

On large or multi-contractor projects, skipping a surveyor almost always costs more in the long run. A dedicated independent project manager provides:

1. Watertight Specifications: They write a singular technical brief so all contractors quote for the identical scope of work, making it impossible for rogue builders to sneak in "hidden extras."

2. Quality Control: They physically scale the scaffolding or inspect the brickwork at key stages before a single penny of leaseholder money is released.

3. Contract Administration: If a contractor goes over time or budget, a project manager legally holds them to account based on standard industry contract terms (like JCT contracts).

Our Promise to You

Our philosophy is simple: We don't charge you for what we can do, and we won't risk your property by attempting what we shouldn't do. By handling the Section 20 admin for free, we save our blocks thousands of pounds on standard works. And when a project truly requires a specialist eye or a unified lead contractor, we will guide you through the process of appointing the right experts—ensuring your building, your safety, and your money are fully protected.