RICS's new service charge code: what a tribunal expects

Editor's Note

The one to read this month is the RICS Service Charge Residential Management Code. Its 4th edition took effect on 7 April 2026, and it is now the benchmark a First-tier Tribunal reaches for when it decides whether a service charge you set was reasonable. Following the code is not a statutory duty on its own, but because it is an approved code, your compliance (or your failure to comply) is admissible if a charge is challenged. If you sit on an RTM or RMC board, this is the standard you are measured against now. The practical version: get your demands, your Section 20 consultation thresholds, and the 18-month rule in order, and keep the records that show each charge was reasonable. It is manageable if you take it section by section. For managing agents: the 4th edition raises the bar you administer across every block in your portfolio, and it flags four service charge reforms under the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 that are not yet in force but are worth preparing for now. Know a fellow director or agent wrestling with service charges this year? Forward this on.

Regulatory Roundup

• What the RICS Service Charge Code 4th Edition Changes for Managing Agents and RTM Directors

  The 4th edition took effect on 7 April 2026 and is now the benchmark a tribunal uses to judge whether a service charge was reasonable. What changed, who it applies to, and the LAFRA 2024 reforms to prepare for.

• The Managing Agent's Service Charge Compliance Checklist (2026)

  A 2026 service charge compliance checklist: demands, Section 20 consultation thresholds, the 18-month rule, and how the RICS 4th edition ties them together.

• Why Your Safety Case Evidence Quality Now Decides BSR Outcomes

  For occupied higher-risk buildings, the BSR judges your safety case on golden thread evidence quality, not document volume. What section 88 requires.

From the Blog