Two management packs may be needed when selling a flat if different organisations deal with the service charges and ground rent. The managing agent may hold the building accounts, insurance and major works information, while the freeholder or its separate agent holds the ground rent account and requirements for registering a change of ownership.
Paying for one pack does not necessarily mean the buyer’s conveyancer has everything needed. The important question is which organisation can answer each enquiry and whether any information remains outstanding.
What does the proposed Conveyancing Protocol say?
The October 2026 consultation draft addresses leasehold information within the seller’s contract bundle at step 13. It refers to LPE1 information concerning service charges and ground rent, with separate information for each where applicable.
Where the LPE1 is awaited, the draft envisages confirmation that it has been requested and paid for, with the information to follow. It also recognises that some landlords supply the necessary information by letter.
The proposal is a consultation draft, not an adopted replacement Protocol. It does not introduce a universal requirement for two paid management packs. Its practical significance is that service-charge information and ground-rent information may come from different sources.
What is a leasehold management pack?
“Management pack” is a practical description for the replies and supporting documents obtained from those responsible for the building or leasehold accounts. It is not a guarantee that every enquiry has been answered.
The LPE1 is a standard leasehold property enquiries form used to collect information from landlords, managing agents and other relevant parties. Supporting documents may include accounts, budgets, insurance information, notices and details of requirements connected with the sale.
The seller’s TA7 Leasehold Information Form serves a different purpose. It provides information from the seller and does not automatically replace replies from the organisation holding the relevant records.
Why might two organisations need to respond?
The organisation managing the building is not necessarily the organisation collecting the ground rent.
Depending on the lease and management arrangements:
- A managing agent may administer service charges, repairs and insurance.
- A residents’ management company or right-to-manage company may have management responsibilities.
- The freeholder or a separate rent-collection agent may administer ground rent.
- Another party may deal with a certificate of compliance, deed of covenant or consent required for the transfer.
Sometimes one authorised respondent can provide the complete information. In other cases, separate replies and documents are needed. More complex developments may involve additional parties.
Two packs are therefore not an end in themselves. Complete, reliable information is the objective.
An illustrative sale: the building agent does not collect the rent
Consider a seller who pays the managing agent for a pack containing service-charge accounts, the current budget, buildings insurance and information about proposed repairs.
The pack states that the agent does not collect ground rent. The buyer’s conveyancer still needs to establish the rent account position and who deals with the landlord’s transfer requirements.
A separate enquiry to the freeholder or its agent may then be necessary. If nobody identifies that gap until exchange is being discussed, the sale can lose time while another response is requested.
This is an illustrative scenario, rather than a reported case. It shows why the scope of a pack should be established before treating it as complete.
What information should be checked?
The seller’s conveyancer should identify the relevant parties from the lease, title documents, demands and management correspondence. A useful starting point is to establish:
- Who collects the service charge and who collects ground rent.
- Whether either account has arrears or a disputed balance.
- Which organisation holds the accounts, budget and reserve-fund information.
- Who can confirm proposed or notified major works.
- Who arranges the buildings insurance.
- Who deals with any consent, deed of covenant, notice or certificate required for the sale.
- Whether the seller’s management-company membership or share needs transferring.
Some questions may be answered by the same organisation. Others may require separate confirmation. Where a respondent says a matter falls outside its remit, the file should identify who will provide the missing information.
A reported warning: the documents were there, but the buyer was not told
Our earlier article on a published Legal Ombudsman case describes a buyer who believed the ground rent was a peppercorn. He later discovered a £300 annual rent with increases and was pursued for charges relating to the period before his ownership.
The firm held documents showing the relevant rent provisions and outstanding charges, but the buyer had not received accurate information.
The £18,000 ground-rent conveyancing lesson illustrates why obtaining documents is only part of the task. The replies, lease, variations and account information must be reconciled and their implications explained.
Ordering a second pack would not itself prevent that kind of failure. Someone must assess the information received.
Can the seller avoid paying twice?
Before ordering, ask each provider what its fee covers and whether it is authorised to answer for the other relevant parties.
If one provider can supply complete information, another pack may be unnecessary. If the first pack excludes the ground rent account or landlord’s requirements, a separate response may be justified.
Ask for an explanation where two providers appear to be charging for the same information. Equally, do not assume that two fees are duplicates simply because both are described as a management pack charge.
Establish the fee, scope, expected response time and any later update charge before placing the order. There is no single price or turnaround time that can safely be applied to every transaction.
One pack has arrived. Can the sale proceed?
The seller’s conveyancer can explain what has been supplied, what remains outstanding and when it is expected. That allows the buyer’s representative to begin reviewing the available papers.
However, receipt of part of the information does not establish that the buyer can safely exchange. An unresolved account, consent requirement or registration restriction may need addressing first.
Follow-up enquiries should identify the actual gap. Our article on when additional conveyancing enquiries are necessary explains why a specific question is more useful than repeating a standard list.
Post-completion requirements should be identified early
The conveyancers should establish which parties must receive notices after completion and whether a deed, membership transfer or certificate is required under the lease or title arrangements.
These requirements can involve the landlord and managing agent separately. A ground rent receipt does not necessarily answer the management-company questions, and service-charge replies do not necessarily establish the landlord’s requirements.
Identifying the recipient, documents, procedure and charges before completion helps the buyer’s conveyancer plan the registration process.
What can sellers do to reduce delays?
- Collect demands and correspondence early. These help identify who deals with each account.
- Give your conveyancer all relevant contact details. Include any separate freeholder, agent or management company.
- Confirm what each pack covers. Establish whether separate ground-rent information is needed.
- Raise discrepancies promptly. Explain disputed demands, missing receipts and inconsistent account balances.
- Keep track of outstanding replies. Confirm who has requested them and when a response is expected.
The buyer’s conveyancer must also consider the mortgage lender’s applicable instructions. A complete management pack does not automatically establish that the lease or transaction is acceptable to the lender.
Did unexpected charges only become clear when you tried to sell?
If your sale or remortgage has exposed a service-charge or major-works problem, your original purchase papers may show what information was obtained and what advice you received.
Explore service-charge problems with When I Bought →
Separate management arrangements or a later increase in charges do not, by themselves, establish that the original conveyancer was at fault.
This article discusses the October 2026 consultation draft and general leasehold conveyancing practice in England and Wales. The information, charges and formalities required depend on the lease, title and management arrangements.