Planned works are repairs, maintenance, or improvements to a building or any other premises that we are responsible for. Generally, planned works are required to keep the building and communal parts in appropriate repair and condition. This can mean adding something new to the building or improving an existing component.

Some leases do not allow us to carry out improvements and in those cases, we will replace them with like-for-like components instead. We will always review your lease and provide you with advance notice before carrying out planned work.

Here, you’ll find helpful information and about planned works and consultations.

As a leaseholder, you are responsible for maintaining and repairing the inside of your home.

As your landlord, we are required to repair and maintain the building and associated areas. This includes the structure, exterior and common components. Under the terms of your lease, you are responsible for contributing toward the cost of this work.

It is important that you read and understand your lease to understand your responsibilities as a leaseholder. When purchasing your home, your solicitor will have provided you with a copy.  If you don’t have a copy of your lease, you can ask your solicitor or complete a Land Registry Search for land and property information.  You can also request a copy from us (fees apply) by:

The works we deliver are necessary to ensure the upkeep of your building as specified within your lease. Our properties are assessed by third-party surveyors, who use industry recognised lifespans for each building element to estimate when they might need to be improved or repaired.

Major and cyclical works are usually planned, and we will use a stock condition survey to decide what is needed at your scheme over the next 30 years. Before any works are delivered, we survey again to confirm whether they are still required. At this point, we may need to bring the work forward if the building element has deteriorated quicker than expected. If the condition of the building element is better than expected, we may delay the works.

We will share a plan with you and consult with you in line with Section 20 legislation if required before carrying out any work.

Before work starts, we will issue a Section 20 notice which will include estimated costs.  This estimate will include a project management fee. This fee covers our costs to manage the planned works including things like Section 20 Consultation, procurement, technical assessments, site assessments and quality inspections.  In some cases, we may also need to employ specialist consultants to advise us on complex planned work, such as work relating to the Building Safety Act 2022.

To achieve the best value for money, we may enter into long term contract for services such as repairs or cyclical painting. Where required, we will consult with you in line with Section 20 legislation before entering into a contract that will be in place for more than 12 months.

We use these estimated costs to calculate the cost per property, which will determine your individual contribution. Using this information, we then set your reserve fund contributions to ensure, where possible, that funds are built up over time to cover the cost of planned works.

Where there are enough funds available, we will pay for any major or cyclical works using the reserve fund and you will be told how and when these funds will be used. Where there are not enough funds, you will be advised and invoiced separately for the cost of the work.

We know that a rise in contributions may be a concern and appreciate that you might have questions about what this means. If you are unable to pay, we will work with you to agree a payment plan. If you think you’ll struggle to pay, or wish to speak to us, please get in touch by:

You can also access support from Citizens Advice and Step Change.

We will provide advance notice of planned investment work that we intend to carry out through the Section 20 consultation process.

Under Section 20 of the Landlord & Tenant Act 1985, we must consult with you if works will cost any one leaseholder more than £250. This is different from minor routine repairs, which we do not have to consult on under Section 20. In these cases, repayments are included in your annual service charge.

We understand that planned works can have a financial impact on leaseholders, so have developed a consultation process specifically for large projects, which goes beyond the legal requirements of Section 20.

Stage 1 – engagement meetings

When we are planning to carry out a large project or a project that will cost a significant amount of money, we will write to you describing the work we plan to undertake, why it is required and how much it is likely to cost. We will do this before we start the formal consultation process.

We want to provide you with advance notice of the planned work and an idea of what your share of the cost is likely to be, so you can comment on the proposals and plan how you might arrange to pay. We will invite all leaseholders to an engagement meeting, at which we outline our initial proposals and seek views.

Stage 2 – formal consultation process

The next stage is the start of the formal consultation process, when we will send you a Section 20 Notice.

This is often called Section 20 consultation because it was introduced by Section 20 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 (as amended by S151 Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002).

The consultation arrangements set out in the Act are detailed and involve different arrangements, depending on the type of contract and will affect which consultation we undertake with you.

When you receive a formal notice, you have the right to give us your views and comments, these are referred to as observations. Observations must be made about the proposed work, as we won’t be able to address other queries during this process. If you write to us with any observations during the consultation period, we will respond to you within the required timescales.

Depending on the type of work, we may hold a pre-commencement meeting for all leaseholders. This provides an opportunity to talk to the contractor and Project Manager and to ask any questions you may have about the works themselves or about what will happen while they are taking place.

To learn more about the Section 20 consultation process, take a look at our guide.

We are committed to achieving good quality outcomes and a Project Manager will be allocated to monitor planned works.

In some cases, the best way to deliver projects will be through a long-term agreement with specific contractors. We may need to consult with you under Section 20 before we enter a long-term agreement, which you can learn more about in our guide.

If you have any questions or concerns whilst the work is taking place, you can get in touch by emailing section20@onward.co.uk.

If you’d like to give feedback whilst the work is taking place, you can get in touch by emailing section20@onward.co.uk.

At the end of each project, we also carry out a satisfaction survey so you can tell us how you feel about the work that has been done. We review the results carefully to understand how we can improve in the future.

In some cases, you may be invited to attend a meeting towards the end of the project, so you can raise any questions or concerns about the quality of the work. This will happen before the project is signed off, so we can ensure you are satisfied. If you are dissatisfied with any aspect of the work, contract management or delivery, we will work with you and aim to respond to queries and disputes within four weeks.

From time-to-time, we may not be able to resolve some of the issues raised. If you are unhappy with our responses in relation to disputes, we will explore mediation.  You can also refer a dispute to a First-Tier Tribunal (Property Chambers) or arbitration panel. A tribunal or panel may include fees, and you will be responsible for covering your own costs. Any decision made by a tribunal or panel will be legally binding.

Further information about First-Tier Tribunal (Property Chambers) can be found by visiting the Government’s website, emailing rpnorthern@justice.gov.uk or calling 0161 237 9491.

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We’re here to help

If you have any questions about planned works, we’re here to help.

Email homeownership@onward.co.uk Other ways to get in touch

Helpful information

Here, you’ll find quick links to helpful information for leaseholders and shared owners.

The information and advice on this website are a guide only. If there are any differences between this guide and your lease, the lease will always take precedence. It is important that you read your lease carefully, and if there is anything that you do not understand, we recommend that you take independent legal advice.