Guide · Right to Manage

How long does the right to manage take?

The right to manage timeline: about four and a half months minimum from the first invitation to takeover. Most uncontested claims take five to seven.

Last reviewed 22 October 2026 by Phil, founder2 min readPlain text (Markdown)

The short answer

The legal minimum from serving the notices of invitation to taking over is about four and a half months: at least 14 days before the claim notice, at least a month for the landlord to reply, and at least three months more to the acquisition date. Getting organised and forming the company usually adds several weeks, so most uncontested claims take five to seven months from start to finish. A disputed claim that goes to the tribunal can add many months.

Key facts

At least 14 days between the last notice of invitation and the claim notice.
At least one month from the claim notice to the counter-notice date.
At least three months from the counter-notice date to the acquisition date.
If disputed: two months to apply to the tribunal, then takeover three months after the decision is final.

The statutory minimum

Stage	Minimum time	Law
Notices of invitation given → claim notice	at least 14 days	s.79(2)
Claim notice given → counter-notice date	at least one month	s.80(6)
Counter-notice date → acquisition date	at least three months	s.80(7)
Total, if nobody disputes it	about four and a half months

The clock is strict. Count from the day each notice is given, which for post is when it would be delivered in the ordinary course of post. Then add a margin of a few days at each stage.

What it looks like in practice

Before the statutory clock starts, you need to:

find and talk to the other leaseholders (often the longest part);
check the building qualifies;
form the RTM company and verify the directors' identities at Companies House;
sign up enough members.

That usually takes a few weeks to a few months, depending on how easy the owners are to reach. So five to seven months from first conversations to takeover is typical for an undisputed claim.

If the claim is disputed

The landlord gives a counter-notice disputing the claim.
The RTM company has two months from the counter-notice (or the last one) to apply to the First-tier Tribunal (s.84(4)). If it doesn't, the claim is treated as withdrawn.
The tribunal decides. This can take several months.
If the company wins, the acquisition date is three months after the decision becomes final (s.90). If the landlord agrees in writing before then, it's three months after the agreement.

A worked example

This is for the fictional Maple Court, with generous margins:

Date	Step
11 January 2027	Notices of invitation posted to the three leaseholders who haven't joined
1 February 2027	Claim notice posted (21 days later, leaving a week for post)
8 March 2027	Counter-notice date in the claim notice (more than a month after the claim notice arrives)
14 June 2027	Acquisition date in the claim notice (more than three months after 8 March)

The landlord doesn't reply by 8 March, so there's no dispute and Maple Court RTM Company Limited takes over on 14 June 2027.

Use the waiting time

The three months before the acquisition date is the time to prepare: ask the old manager for information, arrange insurance from day one, open a bank account and draft your first budget. See The acquisition date and after.

This is general information, not legal advice. Every building and lease is different. For free initial advice, contact LEASE (The Leasehold Advisory Service): https://www.lease-advice.org/

Questions people ask

Can we choose any acquisition date?

You can choose a later date, but not an earlier one than the law allows: at least three months after the counter-notice date, which itself must be at least one month after the claim notice is given. Many groups pick a date that suits the insurance renewal or the start of a service-charge year.

What happens if the landlord disputes the claim?

The RTM company has two months from the counter-notice to apply to the First-tier Tribunal. If the tribunal decides the company is entitled, it takes over three months after the decision becomes final. If the landlord agrees in writing instead, it's three months after the agreement.

Does posting the notices affect the dates?

Yes. A posted notice isn't treated as given until it would arrive in the ordinary course of post, so build in extra days for delivery when you count the 14 days and the other periods.