Responding to Section 20 consultation on major works and long-term agreements
Paying for major works
Paying through your service charge
The process of Section 20 consultation on major works and long-term agreements is separate from the process for paying for the work.
Leaseholders must pay for their share of the cost of work or services for their building through the service charge. The details of what you need to pay for and when you’ll be charged will be set out in your lease.
If there’s a reserve fund or sinking fund, this might be used to pay for some or all of the work.
Your landlord might be able to send you a bill for the work before they consult and before they do the work, if your lease says they can ask for payment of service charges in advance.
Even if your landlord can charge you in advance, they must still follow the consultation process before they start the work or set up the agreement for services.
Help with paying
There is usually no cap on how much leaseholders can be asked to pay for work on their building, as long as the charges are reasonable.
Costs can be high, and it’s important to get help if you’re having difficulty paying your service charge.
If you have a public sector landlord such as a local authority or housing association, they will usually offer a payment plan to help spread the cost of major works.
If you have a private sector landlord, you can ask if they offer payment plans or loans, but they are not obliged to.
Find out more about what to do if you’re unable to pay your service charge
Protections against paying for unsafe cladding and historic safety defects
The Building Safety Act 2022 introduced protections for some leaseholders affected by the cost of remediating (fixing):
- unsafe cladding
- other historic safety defects
- safety measures related to a defect (such as a waking watch or interim fire alarm)
Find out more about when and how leaseholders have to pay for:
- Last updated:
- 23 December 2025
- Next review:
- 23 December 2027
Related content
Options if your landlord does not follow the Section 20 rules on consulting about major works
Advice guideAbout service charges, how to challenge them, and what happens if you do not pay
Topic - Costs and charges