BrocadeService charge software for managing agents and RTM or RMC directors
From the annual budget to each flat's demand, in one record. Select a flat to see how its share of every budget line is worked out.
| Category | Budget | Flat 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Insurance | £14,400 | £2,088.00 |
| Repairs and maintenance | £9,600 | £1,392.00 |
| Management fee | £7,200 | £1,044.00 |
| Reserve fund contribution | £7,200 | £1,044.00 |
| Cleaning | £6,000 | £870.00 |
| Communal electricity | £3,600 | £522.00 |
| Total | £48,000 | £6,960.00 |
Follow the money through the year
Five stages, one record. Select a stage to jump to it.
Step 01 · Budget
Before the year starts
Set the budget
Everything starts here. The budget is your estimate of what the building will spend this year, line by line: insurance, cleaning, repairs, the reserve fund. Get it right and every demand that follows is easy to explain.
In Brocade
- Budgets broken down by RICS-standard budget categories
- A Section 20 threshold check on qualifying works
- A ten-year major works projection with scenarios
- Import existing budgets by CSV
Watch for
£250 per unit
Qualifying works above this need Section 20 consultation. Brocade flags when planned works cross the threshold.
Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, s.20
Step 02 · Demand
Start of each period
Send each flat its share
Each flat pays its share under the lease. Brocade works out every flat's portion of every line and turns it into an itemised demand, so a leaseholder can see exactly what they are paying for.
In Brocade
- Costs apportioned across units by share
- Automated demand generation, for the full year or as interim charges
Good to know
Rounding
Shares are rounded to four decimal places. Any rounding difference is left for you to resolve; Brocade does not adjust it for you.
Step 03 · Collect
Through the year
See who has paid
Money comes in at different times and in different amounts. Import your bank statement and Brocade suggests which demand each payment belongs to. You confirm, and the demand updates.
In Brocade
- Email demands to leaseholders, send payment reminders and flag overdue demands each day
- Record payments, bulk payments and credit notes against each demand
- Bank statement import with suggested payment matches
- Leaseholders see their breakdown and payment history in the portal
Good to know
You stay in control
Matches are suggestions ranked by confidence. Nothing is recorded until you confirm it.
Step 04 · Reconcile
As costs arrive
Keep spend against budget
Invoices arrive, repairs happen, a claim goes in. Record each cost against its budget category as it comes, and budget vs actual stays current instead of becoming a year-end surprise.
In Brocade
- Budget vs actual tracking
- Costs and contractor invoices recorded against budget categories
- Insurance claims linked to the cost items they cover
- S.20B deadline warnings and a generated S.20B notice
Watch for
18 months
Costs not demanded or notified within 18 months can become irrecoverable. Brocade warns as costs approach the limit.
Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, s.20B
Step 05 · Year-end
After the year closes
Close the year and balance up
Compare what was spent with what was demanded. Where the actuals differ from the estimate, Brocade produces the balancing charges, and the reserve fund ledger shows where the fund stands.
In Brocade
- Year-end reconciliation with balancing charges
- An append-only reserve fund ledger with full transaction history
- Full audit trail on every transaction
Good to know
Then it starts again
The closed year's actuals are the best guide to next year's budget.
How Brocade compares to other service charge platforms
We built Brocade, so yes, we have a horse in this race. That is exactly why we have tried hard to be fair. Every platform below gets credit where it is due, and we flag the cases where another tool is likely a better fit than us. Every claim is taken from public documentation. Where we could not verify something, we said so rather than guessing.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Brocade | Resident | BlockPro | Blockcare 300 | Blocks Online | Arthur | Fixflo | MosaicGT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Section 20 consultation workflow | Threshold checks only | Partial | Not publicly documented | Not publicly documented | Partial | Not publicly documented | Major works, from Jul 2026 | No |
| Section 20B 18-month demand tracking | Yes | Not publicly documented | Not publicly documented | Not publicly documented | Not publicly documented | Not publicly documented | No | No |
| RICS budget categories | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes | Yes | Partial | No | No |
| Year-end service charge accounts | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes | Yes | Partial | No | No |
| Compliance-linked demands (FRA / checks) | Yes | No | Partial | No | No | No | No | Partial |
| Checksummed audit trail | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Leaseholder portal | Yes | Yes | Yes | Self-service portal | Yes | Yes | Tenant reporting | No |
| Contractor management | Yes | Yes | Basic | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Transparent public pricing | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Built for UK leasehold (not adapted) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes | Yes |
Scroll sideways for the other platforms
A dash means we could not verify the feature on the vendor's public website. That is not a judgement on whether it exists, only that we would not rely on it without a demo.
Show the full comparisonHide the full comparison5 more features, 8 platform write-ups, pricing and when to choose which
Why UK service charges need UK-specific software
Service charges in the UK are not generic building accounting. They sit on top of a specific legal framework: the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002, the RICS Service Charge Residential Management Code, and now the Building Safety Act 2022 and the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024.
Four things make this different from property accounting in the US, Europe, or the commercial BTR market:
- Section 20 consultation. For any qualifying work above £250 per leaseholder, or any long-term agreement above £100 per leaseholder per year, you must run a two-stage statutory consultation. Skip a step and the recoverable amount is capped at those figures, regardless of the actual cost.
- Section 20B, the 18-month rule. Costs must be demanded, or notified via a Section 20B notice, within 18 months of being incurred. Miss that window and the cost is not recoverable. This is a paperwork problem that spreadsheets handle poorly.
- RICS budget categories. The RICS Code expects consistent, comparable budget categorisation across years. Year-end accounts that do not reconcile to the approved budget draw challenges at the First-tier Tribunal.
- Leaseholder transparency. Leaseholders can request supporting invoices and challenge unreasonable charges. Platforms that only expose PDF statements without a real portal make transparency harder than it needs to be, especially for higher-risk buildings under the Building Safety Act.
How we evaluated each platform
Service charge software in the UK has to handle more than invoices and statements. We scored each platform against the six areas that actually decide whether a building manager, an RTM or RMC director, or a managing agent can rely on it day to day.
- Section 20 consultation workflow
- Does the platform help you run the Stage 1 Notice of Intention and Stage 2 Notice of Estimates, track the 30-day consultation windows, and store leaseholder observations? Manual S.20 handling is where most tribunal cases start.
- Section 20B (18-month rule) tracking
- S.20B bars recovery of costs demanded more than 18 months after they were incurred, unless a notice was served in time. We looked for demand-ageing, invoice-to-demand linkage, and warning dashboards, not just a ledger.
- RICS service charge budget categories
- The RICS Service Charge Residential Management Code expects consistent budget categorisation. We checked whether each platform supports RICS-aligned categories out of the box and lets you produce year-end accounts that reconcile cleanly.
- Leaseholder portal and transparency
- On 15 July 2026 the government published its response to the Strengthening leaseholder protections consultation, confirming it will prescribe a standardised service charge demand form, an annual report on building condition and planned major works, and a list of documents landlords must supply on request going back six years. None of this is in force yet. Statutory Instruments are still to be laid, private landlords get 12 months notice and social landlords 24, and leaseholders "will start to see changes during 2027". We scored platforms on whether a real portal already shows demands, payments, and supporting invoices, because that is the workload the new duties land on.
- Pricing transparency
- We favoured platforms that publish pricing. "Contact sales for a quote" often means enterprise-only, which is a problem for individual RTM and RMC companies, small managing agents, and self-managing buildings.
- Fit for UK leasehold (not adapted from US multifamily)
- Several property management platforms are general tools retrofitted for UK use. We noted which platforms were built around UK leasehold obligations versus ones where service charges are a secondary module.
Brocade (Our Recommendation)
Brocade is block management software for UK residential blocks, covering service charges, day-to-day management and building safety in one place. Section 20 threshold checks and S.20B deadline warnings sit next to the fire risk assessment, scheduled checks, and resident portal, so the cost you recover through the service charge is tied to the obligation that generated it. Built for building managers, RTM and RMC directors, and small-to-mid managing agents.
Strengths
- Flags any leaseholder whose share of works would pass the £250 Section 20 threshold, and warns before costs pass the 18-month S.20B limit
- Service charges are linked to the underlying compliance item (FRA action, scheduled check, warranty), so your demand is backed by an audit trail
- Resident portal shows demands, payments, and building compliance status in the same view
- Transparent per-building pricing: £49/month base plus £2.50 per unit, with no enterprise minimum
- UK-built, designed around leasehold obligations rather than adapted from a US multifamily product
Weaknesses
- Newer to market than Resident or Blocks Online
- Not a full accounting package. Trust accounting for large managing agent portfolios may still need a separate finance system
- Focused on leasehold, RTM and RMC buildings, not BTR or student accommodation
The strongest fit for managing agents and RTM or RMC companies who want service charges, day-to-day management and building safety in one place. If you need heavyweight trust accounting for a 1,000+ unit portfolio, keep reading.
Resident
Resident is a UK block management platform currently ranking on page one of Google for "service charge management software UK". It covers service charge accounting, maintenance, communications, and a leaseholder portal, and is used by a number of established managing agents. It is the most visible competitor for the service charge head term.
Strengths
- Established UK block management feature set including service charge accounting and year-end workflows
- Leaseholder portal with statements, demands, and communications
- Good SEO and brand presence in the UK managing agent market
Weaknesses
- Pricing is not published on the public site, so small RTM or RMC companies and self-managers cannot easily evaluate fit
- Compliance features (FRA action tracking, safety case, checksummed audit) are not the product focus
- Section 20B 18-month warning dashboards are not publicly documented as a first-class feature
A credible choice for managing agents who want a UK-focused block management platform with service charges as the core. Less strong if you also need building safety compliance in the same system.
BlockPro
BlockPro is a UK property management platform that has added a golden thread and service charge layer on top of a general block management product. It targets managing agents handling mixed portfolios of leasehold blocks.
Strengths
- General block management features including communications, task management, and document storage
- Some golden thread and building safety tracking added for BSA-era buildings
- Service charge collection features for day-to-day operations
Weaknesses
- Service charge features are collection-focused rather than S.20 and S.20B compliance-focused
- Pricing is not publicly listed
- No public documentation of checksummed or tamper-evident audit trail for service charge demands
Worth a look for managing agents who want one platform for operations and light compliance, but if S.20B demand ageing matters to you, verify the workflow in a demo before committing.
Read our full Brocade vs BlockPro comparison →Blocks Online
Blocks Online is a long-established UK block management platform aimed primarily at managing agents. It covers service charge accounting, ground rent, reporting, and a leaseholder portal, and has been in the market for many years.
Strengths
- Long track record in UK block management
- Full service charge accounting and ground rent workflows
- Leaseholder portal with statements and demand history
Weaknesses
- UI and workflow feel dated compared with newer entrants
- Pricing on request, not published publicly
- Compliance, FRA action tracking, and safety case workflows are not the product focus
A solid choice for larger managing agents who value maturity and depth of service charge accounting. Less suitable for RTM or RMC directors or small self-managers who want a modern interface and transparent pricing.
Arthur Online
Arthur is a UK-based broad property management platform covering residential lettings, HMOs, student, and block management. It has service charge capability within a wider product used by letting agents and mixed-portfolio managers.
Strengths
- Broad coverage across lettings, HMO, student, and blocks from a single system
- Good mobile and tenant-facing features, including a resident app
- Published tiered pricing for letting-agent use cases
Weaknesses
- Service charge and leasehold workflows are one module in a wider tenancy-focused product
- Section 20 and Section 20B workflows are not publicly documented as first-class features
- Best suited to managers with mixed lettings and block portfolios, less so to pure leasehold, RTM or RMC setups
A sensible pick if you manage lettings alongside blocks and want one platform for both. If you only manage leasehold, RTM or RMC buildings, a leasehold-specialist tool will fit better.
Fixflo
Fixflo is the UK market leader for repairs and maintenance reporting, with over a million properties on its platform. Repairs remains the core product, but on 3 July 2026 Fixflo shipped a Section 20 major-works consultation workspace, which is the first credible move by a repairs platform into leasehold consultation. Worth including because many managing agents already run Fixflo and will now be asked whether it covers their service charges too.
Strengths
- Very large installed base in UK block and letting management
- Strong contractor workflow and repairs reporting
- Planned preventative maintenance scheduling
- Section 20 major-works workspace shipped 3 July 2026: structured workflows, fee visibility, date-stamped record-keeping, and consultation stages that lock in sequence with auto-managed deadlines. This is a genuine strength and newer than most comparisons will tell you.
Weaknesses
- The Section 20 workspace is major-works consultation process, not service charge accounting. It does not produce demands, budgets, or year-end reconciliation.
- Fixflo describes the release as phased with "more advanced features on the way", and the workspace is absent from its block management and pricing pages, so confirm what is actually enabled on your plan before you rely on it
- Section 20B 18-month demand ageing is not publicly documented
- Typically used alongside a separate service charge or block management system, not as a replacement for one
The Section 20 workspace narrows the gap on consultation and is worth taking seriously if major works are your pain point. It does not close the gap on demands, budgets, or reconciliation, so Fixflo still works best as a repairs and consultation layer beside a dedicated service charge platform rather than as the service charge platform itself.
Read our full Brocade vs Fixflo comparison →MosaicGT
MosaicGT is a golden thread platform focused on building safety information management across the asset lifecycle. It touches service charges where costs tie back to a safety obligation, but its centre of gravity is compliance documentation rather than service charge accounting.
Strengths
- Dedicated golden thread and building information management
- Support for safety case information requirements
- Useful for linking safety-related costs to their underlying obligation
Weaknesses
- Not a standalone service charge accounting platform
- Limited public documentation of S.20 or S.20B workflows
- Pricing is not published publicly
Worth evaluating as a golden thread companion to a dedicated service charge system, not as the service charge system itself.
Blockcare 300
Ringley Group, which describes itself as one of the UK's top 10 residential managing agents, launched Service Charge Sorted (SCS) on 12 May 2026 as, in its own words, "a tech alternative to a Managing Agent - built specifically for small blocks of flats". Blockcare 300 is the entry-paid tier of that line at £630/yr (£45/mo equivalent). It is aimed squarely at self-managing, RTM, and freehold or resident management company blocks, and it is the most direct overlap with the service charge pillar of any platform on this page.
Strengths
- The clearest scope statement of any vendor here. SCS ships legally compliant service charge demands, client-account fund holding, automated arrears chasing with built-in legal escalation, controlled invoice approvals with audit trails, year-end accounts, and company filings.
- Leaseholder transparency down to individual invoices, which is close to what the July 2026 government response will require
- RICS-regulated parent handles the financial back-office, and decades of managing-agent process sit behind the product
- Transparent entry price at £630/yr, published, with no sales call needed to rule it in or out
Weaknesses
- Ringley draws its own boundary and it is worth quoting: SCS is "not intended to replace managing agents on large or complex developments where on-site management, complex facilities and high rise building safety act compliance is a must". Building safety at higher-risk scale is explicitly out of scope by the vendor's own statement.
- Deliberately scoped to small, low-complexity developments, "typically blocks under 12-15 flats", low-rise buildings and simple estates. If your block is larger or taller, the product is not built for you.
- No compliance surface at any scale: FRA actions, scheduled statutory checks, PEEPs and safety case work are not covered, so the service charge and the obligation that generated the cost stay in separate systems
- Funds and reconciliation operate within Ringley's client accounts rather than the RTM or RMC company's own bank account, and the self-serve tier still needs Ringley to provision access
- The pricing ladder escalates sharply above the entry tier: Blockcare 500 from £5,000/yr with Ringley acting as managing agent, Blockcare 1000 from £10,000/yr
For a low-rise block under about 12-15 flats that wants the financial back-office run by a regulated firm, this is a genuinely strong option and the closest thing to a done-for-you service charge answer on this page. The limit is the one Ringley states itself. If your building carries Building Safety Act duties, or you want the demand and the compliance obligation behind it in one audit trail, you will need a second system alongside it.
Read our full Brocade vs Blockcare 300 comparison →Pricing comparison
Only Brocade, Arthur, and Fixflo publish pricing on their public sites at the time of writing. For the others, we have marked "on request" rather than guessing. If a vendor's published pricing changes, we will update this page.
| Platform | Public pricing | Entry point | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brocade | Published | £49 / mo base + £2.50 per unit | No enterprise minimum. Per-building pricing, monthly billing. |
| Resident | On request | Contact sales | Pricing not published on the public website. |
| BlockPro | On request | Contact sales | Pricing not published on the public website. |
| Blockcare 300 | Published | £630 / yr (£45 / mo equivalent) | Entry tier of the Ringley Service Charge Sorted line. Higher tiers from £5,000/yr and £10,000/yr, where Ringley acts as managing agent. |
| Blocks Online | On request | Contact sales | Pricing not published on the public website. |
| Arthur | Published (tiered) | From published tiers, lettings-first | Tiered plans published, mix of lettings and block management use cases. |
| Fixflo | Published (repairs core) | Repairs pricing published | Pricing is for the repairs product. The Section 20 workspace added in July 2026 is not listed on the pricing page, so confirm plan coverage. |
| MosaicGT | On request | Contact sales | Golden thread focus, pricing not published. |
When to choose which
A quick decision aid. No single platform is right for everyone, and there are several cases where another tool is a better fit than Brocade.
You are an RTM or RMC director self-managing, or a small agent running 1 to 20 buildings
Pick: Brocade
Transparent per-building pricing, Section 20 threshold checks and S.20B deadline warnings built in, and a real leaseholder portal without a sales call.
You are a mid-sized managing agent with mature year-end accounts needs and a preferred finance process
Pick: Resident or Blocks Online
Deep service charge accounting, established UK block management features, portal for leaseholders.
You manage lettings and blocks in the same portfolio and want one system
Pick: Arthur
Broad property management coverage, resident app, and published pricing. Service charges are one module in a wider product.
You already run Fixflo for repairs and want to add service charge later
Pick: Fixflo + a dedicated service charge tool
Fixflo is strong for repairs and weak for service charge. Pair it with a leasehold-focused platform rather than replacing one with the other.
You need a golden thread system and your service charges already run somewhere else
Pick: MosaicGT
Useful as a safety-case and golden thread companion, not a replacement for a service charge platform.
You manage residential blocks and want service charges, day-to-day management and building safety in one place
Pick: Brocade
Demands can be linked to the underlying FRA action, scheduled check, or warranty, giving you a cleaner audit trail when costs are challenged.
A note on fairness
We built Brocade, so there is no point pretending this is a neutral review. What we can do is be explicit about how we scored each platform and what we could not verify.
Every claim above is sourced from the vendor's public website or documentation as of the last updated date. Where a feature is marked "Not publicly documented", the vendor may well support it, we just could not confirm it without a sales call. We would rather flag the gap than fill it with a guess.
If you work at one of the platforms reviewed and we have got something wrong, we will correct it. The goal is that a building manager reading this page ends up with the right tool, not necessarily ours.
Last updated: July 2026
More in service charges
Also in the product
Arrears grouped by age, flagged over 1, 3 and 6 years
All unpaid arrears, whatever their age, grouped by how long they have been overdue and flagged at over 1 year, over 3 years and over 6 years.
A running account for each leaseholder
Every demand, payment and credit note for one leaseholder on one page, with the balance after each entry.
Demands held back until the landlord's name and address are set
Before demands are generated, Brocade checks the landlord details and flags missing bank details or flats with no leaseholder for you to confirm.
Demand summary and aged debt reports to download
Download the demand summary as CSV or PDF, and the aged debt breakdown as CSV.
A reserve fund held across more than one bank account, with a downloadable statement
Record each account the fund is held in, move money between accounts, and download a statement as PDF or the entries as CSV.
Explore Brocade's capabilities
- Service Charge ComplianceRICS budgets, S.20 tracking, and compliance-to-finance link.
- Building Safety Compliance SoftwareThe all-in-one platform for Building Safety Act compliance.
- Fire Risk Assessment TrackingTrack every action from finding to evidence to completion.
- Golden Thread PlatformVersion-controlled document management with tamper-proof audit trails.
- For RTM and RMC DirectorsService charges and building safety for directors running a block.
Questions
Can Brocade generate service charge demands?
Yes. Brocade generates itemised service charge demands directly from your budget. Each demand shows leaseholders exactly what they are being charged for, broken down by RICS-standard budget categories. Demands can be generated for the full year or as interim charges.
Do leaseholders get their own login?
Yes. Every building has a resident portal where leaseholders can log in and see their service charge breakdown, payment history, and what their money funds. This transparency reduces complaints and demonstrates the financial transparency required under BSA 2022 Part 4.
How does Section 20 consultation work in Brocade?
Brocade checks costs against the Section 20 consultation thresholds; it does not run the consultation for you. On budget lines and on the cost of individual works, it works out each flat's share from the apportionment and flags any leaseholder who would pay more than £250. Contracts longer than 12 months are treated as long-term agreements and flagged when any leaseholder's share is more than £100 a year. It also warns before costs pass the 18-month limit in Section 20B and can generate the Section 20B notice for them. Sending the consultation notices, handling leaseholder observations and choosing the contractor stay with you or your adviser.
Can I import existing financial data?
Yes. Brocade supports CSV import for bank transactions, existing budgets, and payment records. You can migrate from spreadsheets without losing historical data.
Does Brocade handle reserve funds?
Yes. Brocade maintains an append-only reserve fund ledger with full transaction history. Track contributions, expenditure, and current balances. Plan for major works with clear visibility into available funds.
Is Brocade suitable for RTM and RMC companies without a managing agent?
Absolutely. Brocade is designed for both professional managing agents and volunteer RTM and RMC directors. The interface uses plain English, the Getting Started wizard guides you through setup, and the compliance dashboard tells you what needs attention without assuming specialist knowledge.
From £49/month + £2.50 per unit
The other two pillars
Give leaseholders the transparency they're asking for
Every flat pays its share of every line. See your building's split.
- UK-hosted data
- Tamper-proof audit trail
- Each building's data kept separate