Small-block annual money cycle

Run the year from the lease, not last year's spreadsheet.

Map the authority, budget, demands, money record, reserve, works and year-end adjustment in the order the building actually needs them.

How it works

The whole task, before you start entering details.

Use the five stages in order. You can move back at any point when a missing document or fact changes the position.

01State the situation
Say what has happened without deciding the legal answer.
02Gather the evidence
Mark what you have and keep every missing item visible.
03Ask one question
Build a focused LEASE-iQ® question from the facts supplied.
04Check the answer
Open the lease pages and current sources behind each point.
05Take the next action
Resolve what you can and hand off what still needs judgment.

You are acting asResident director, landlord, managing agent or organisation in its exact case role

Other partyThe roles authorising, paying or checking each step

How this page helpsDecision-maker workflow with shareable evidence

Step 1

Start with the outcome and the role that has authority.

A resident director is not automatically the landlord. Start with the entity, lease roles, appointment authority and decision route, then map the annual jobs.

Your role in this buildingWho else makes or checks decisions?Number of flats, if usefulAccounting yearService-charge frequencyGround rent in the leasesReserve or sinking fundKnown works or decisions this year

Keep identifying information out of this page.

Use broad facts here. Add the signed document through the confirmed secure LEASE-iQ route.

Step 2

Gather the records that could change the answer.

Tick what is available. Missing evidence remains visible in the prepared question.

Signed leases and variationsFreehold title and company recordsManagement agreement or agent authorityPrior budget, demands and accountsBank and reserve recordsInsurance documentsMaintenance and major-works planBoard decisions and issue records

Step 3

Ask one focused question based on the documents you have.

LEASE-iQ is the engine for signed lease facts, cited pages and dated current-law status. The website owns this workflow and the safe next action.

Question to review and copy

Build an annual money-control map for this block from the signed leases and current records. First identify the exact legal roles and decision authority. Then cite the lease clauses and pages for the service-charge year, budget or advance demands, payment dates, apportionment, balancing charges or credits, reserve contributions, certification, accounts and ground rent. Keep service charges and ground rent separate. Show current-law checks that sit outside the lease, missing documents, decision owners, evidence to retain and the next safe action. Do not infer authority from the title resident director or managing agent, and do not decide that a duty has been met.

Step 4

Check the answer before the action.

Every material conclusion should remain beside its source, status and uncertainty.

Bring the answer back

Paste the LEASE-iQ output here.

Nothing pasted here is saved or sent by this website. Use it only to check the answer against the source and decide the next safe action.

LEASE-iQ output

Before the year

Confirm roles, dates, budget route, In plain EnglishThe method used to divide a building cost between flats. Look for the percentage, fraction or other method in the lease.Open the plain-English glossary, reserve authority and planned works.

During the year

Issue In plain EnglishA payment under a lease for specified services, works, insurance or management costs. Authority, procedure, evidence and reasonableness are separate checks.Open the statutory definition and ground rent separately, keep decisions and money records, and handle works through the correct route.

After the year

Prepare the accounts, certificate and any balancing action required by the lease, then explain the result.

CURRENT-LAW BOUNDARY, CHECKED 26 AUGUST 2026

Do not let the workflow silently decide the law.

The lease may control collection, apportionment and accounting, but it is not the only source. Company, consultation, trust-money, building-safety, fire, electrical, insurance and other duties depend on the exact role, building and current law. This route maps the checks. It does not certify compliance.

Step 5

Finish the job or focus the handoff.

Use the output as the board's control map: each job, the actor, the cited lease route, the current external check, the decision date, the evidence retained and the next review. Move only the unresolved or consequential point to an agent, accountant, surveyor or solicitor.

Official guideGOV.UK: buying or owning a leasehold home Related guideIssue a service-charge demand Related guideIssue a ground-rent demand Practical toolBuild the annual budget AnswerReserve and sinking funds AnswerSection 20 works AnswerAnnual accounts AnswerBank accounts

Already registered? Sign in to LEASE-iQ

Two roles, one source set

If the other party disagrees, move to the shared route.

Share cited facts and the exact open question without presenting the shared evidence as a shared verdict.

Open the disagreement route

Plain English

Translate the legal words without changing the signed document.

The glossary explains common terms and why they matter. The lease may define the same word differently.

Open the glossary

Choose another problem