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Example Section 20 notices for public sector landlords

Example notice of intention to enter into a long-term agreement where public notice is not needed

In this guide

Please note: Landlords must send a notice of the intention to enter into a long-term agreement to each tenant and the RTA (if there is one).

To: (name and correspondence address of tenant)

and (name of RTA)

  1. We (insert name of landlord or manager) intend to enter into a long-term agreement for work or services, and must consult you about this work under section 20 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. (See Note 1 below.)
  2. The goods/services/work (delete whichever does not apply) to be provided under the agreement are as follows. (Insert a general description of the goods, work or services.)
    Or
  3. You can inspect a description of the goods/services/work (delete whichever does not apply) to be provided under the agreement at (insert place and time for inspection.) (See Note 2 below.)
  4. We consider it necessary to enter into the agreement because (insert a statement of your reasons. If the work or services consist of or include qualifying work, explain why you consider the work necessary.)
  5. We invite you to make written observations on the proposed agreement. You should send your observations to (address of landlord or manager). We must receive your observations within the consultation period of 30 days from the date of receipt of this notice. The consultation period will end on (insert date of not less than 30 days from the date that the notice is given to the recipient). (See Note 3 below.)
  6. We also invite you to nominate a contractor you believe we should try to get an estimate from for the work or services described in paragraph 2 above. (See Note 4 below.) If you want to nominate a contractor, you must give us their name within 30 days from the date of receiving this notice.

Signed:

(Signature of the person giving the notice. If an agent signs, also add: ‘duly authorised agent of (name of landlord or manager)’.)

Address:

(Give the address which tenants should use for any future communications relating to the notice of intention to enter into a long-term agreement.)

Date:

Notes

  1. Under section 20 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 (as amended) (‘the 1985 act’), landlords (as defined by section 30 of the 1985 act) must consult tenants whose leases say they must pay service charges to contribute to costs due under a qualifying long-term agreement, if the contribution of any one tenant would be more than £100 in any accounting period. ‘Qualifying long-term agreement’ is defined by section 20ZA of the 1985 act.
  2. If a notice says where and when tenants can inspect documents relating to the agreement:
    1. the place and time must be reasonable; and
    2. a description of the relevant matters must be available for inspection, free of charge, at that place and during that time.
      If facilities to copy the documents are not made available at the times when tenants can inspect the description, the landlord must provide a copy of the description free of charge to any tenant who asks for one.
  3. The landlord has a duty to have regard to written observations made within the consultation period by any tenant or RTA. Section 29 of the 1985 act defines RTA.
    1. If an RTA only nominates one contractor (whether or not any tenant also nominates a contractor), the landlord must try to get an estimate from the nominated contractor.
    2. If only one individual tenant makes a nomination, and they only nominate one contractor (whether or not an RTA also nominates a contractor), the landlord must try to get an estimate from the nominated contractor.
    3. If more than one tenant each nominates only one contractor (whether or not an RTA also nominates a contractor), the landlord must try to get an estimate:
      1. from the contractor who receives the most nominations; or
      2. if two (or more) contractors receive the same number of nominations (and this is more than the number of nominations received by any other contractor), from one of those contractors; or
      3. in any other case, from any nominated contractor.
    4. If any tenant and an RTA nominate a number of contractors, the landlord must try to get an estimate from:
      1. at least one contractor nominated by a tenant; and
      2. at least one different contractor nominated by the RTA.
Last updated:
22 September 2022
Next review:
19 December 2026