Communal roof works for managing agents, freeholders and RTM companies across Beverley and Hull — Section 20 specifications, condition surveys and reserve-fund forecasts, from a local team used to service-charge accountability.
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Communal roof works on a block usually fall under a Section 20 consultation: if any leaseholder is charged over £250 through the service charge, the freeholder or managing agent must consult before the work proceeds. We supply the specifications and estimates that process needs.
This service is for freeholders, managing agents, Right to Manage (RTM) companies and residents’ associations responsible for the communal roof of a block of flats. It is a different discipline from a single house: the money is recovered through a service charge, the leases govern what can be charged, and statute governs how leaseholders are consulted.
When it is not the answer: if the roof has isolated, repairable faults and no leaseholder will be charged over £250, a straightforward repair outside the consultation regime is the right, cheaper route. We say so rather than manufacture a major-works project.
Beverley’s historic core is mostly houses, but the coverage area takes in Hull, where communal roofing is a substantial part of the stock. Hull city centre and the Avenues have many large Victorian and Edwardian houses converted into leasehold flats, each keeping a shared pitched roof one freeholder maintains for several leaseholders.
Purpose-built blocks — from inter-war mansion flats to post-war and later developments around the city and out towards Hessle and Cottingham Road — are typically flat-roofed in felt, asphalt or single-ply. These are the roofs where corrected falls and a proper warm-deck rebuild, not another overlay, decide whether the next 20 years are quiet or a run of leaks.
On all of this stock the practical question is the same: the freeholder or managing agent pays for the roof and recovers it from leaseholders through the service charge. That is what brings the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 into play, and why the paperwork behind a communal roof job matters as much as the roofing itself.
Where communal works will cost any one leaseholder more than £250 through the service charge, the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 requires a formal consultation. Skip it and recovery is capped at £250 per leaseholder, however much the work cost. The stages we support:
A written notice to every leaseholder describing the proposed works, why they are needed, and inviting written observations over 30 days. We provide the plain-English technical description this needs.
At least two genuine estimates, including from any contractor a leaseholder nominates. We provide a fully itemised, comparable estimate so leaseholders see like-for-like.
A second notice sharing the estimates and a summary of observations, with a further 30-day window. Where our quote is one of them, it is specified to stand up to scrutiny.
Consultation complete, the contract is awarded and works proceed on the agreed specification, with a notice of reasons if the cheapest estimate is not chosen.
We are not solicitors and this is not advice on your specific leases — your managing agent or property solicitor confirms the exact requirements — but we produce the specifications and estimates that make each stage straightforward.
| Stage | Typical duration |
|---|---|
| Condition survey & written report | 1–2 weeks to issue |
| Section 20 consultation (both notices) | ~60 days minimum |
| Flat communal roof recover | 1–3 weeks on site |
| Pitched communal re-roof | 2–4 weeks on site |
Consultation runs in parallel with planning; the on-site programme depends on block size, access and agreed phasing.
Communal jobs live or die on access planning. We arrange scaffold and, where it stands on the public highway or a communal walkway, the licence through East Riding of Yorkshire Council (Hull City Council for Hull addresses). Where a block has no rear access — common on converted terraces in the Avenues — scaffold and skips load from the street under permit, so we build the licence lead time into the programme.
We agree phasing, working hours, protected pedestrian routes and a single managing-agent contact before starting, and support the resident access notices so leaseholders know what is happening and when.
| Item | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Roof condition survey + 5/10yr forecast | £350–£900 | Per block, for reserve-fund planning |
| Flat communal roof (single-ply/felt) | £90–£160/m² | Warm deck, corrected falls |
| Pitched communal re-roof | £95–£190/m² | By covering; conservation adds cost |
| Communal gutter/roofline renewal | £120–£180/lm | Access-dependent on a block |
| Section 20 specification & estimate | Included | Provided with our quote |
Worked example: a felt-covered flat roof on a 1970s block off Cottingham Road, ponding and leaking into top-floor flats: strip, tapered insulation to restore falls, single-ply warm-deck recover — roughly £18,000–£26,000 across the block, which planned through the reserve fund is far less painful than an emergency levy.
We invoice to the service-charge account with itemised documentation. Staged payments on major works; nothing before materials are on site.
Communal roofing carries the same written, transferable 10-year workmanship guarantee as our domestic work, with single-ply and membrane manufacturer warranties on top — a documented warranty position for the managing agent to hold on file and pass to leaseholders.
Where works will cost any one leaseholder more than £250, the landlord must consult under Section 20 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, or recovery is limited to £250 per leaseholder.
Source: Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, s.20; TPI (The Property Institute) guidance for managing agents
On an occupied block we phase the work, keep communal routes open, and remove waste promptly through a licensed carrier so day-to-day life in the flats carries on. You do not need to stay home for external work - we just need power and access agreed in advance.
Flat single-ply work runs in most conditions; we programme around block access rather than weather. Hull Valley humidity and North Sea easterlies drive persistent moss growth and hard freeze-thaw cycling on exposed verges.
"They handled the Section 20 paperwork and the actual roof — our leaseholders could see exactly what they were paying for. The flat roof on the block hasn’t leaked since."
"Condition survey with a ten-year forecast let us set the reserve fund properly. No nasty surprise levy."
"Clear notices to residents, walkways kept open, tidy site. Exactly what you want on an occupied block."
If any single leaseholder will be charged more than £250 for the works through the service charge, yes — the freeholder or managing agent must consult under Section 20 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 before the work proceeds, or the recoverable amount is capped at £250 per leaseholder. We provide the itemised specifications and estimates the consultation stages require.
In outline: a Notice of Intention describing the works and inviting observations (30 days); obtaining estimates including from any nominated contractor; a Notice of Estimates sharing at least two quotes and a summary of observations (a further 30 days); then the award. We supply written specifications and priced estimates that slot into those notices.
Yes. We produce roof condition surveys with a 5 and 10-year cost forecast so the managing agent or RTM company can set a realistic reserve (sinking) fund contribution rather than facing a sudden major-works bill.
We arrange scaffold and, where it stands on the public highway, the licence through East Riding of Yorkshire Council (Hull City Council for Hull addresses). We coordinate resident access notices and phasing so communal walkways and parking stay usable.
Yes — freeholders, managing agents, Right to Manage companies and residents’ associations. We invoice to a service-charge account with documentation an accountant and leaseholders can scrutinise.
Yes. Purpose-built blocks are often flat-roofed (felt, asphalt or single-ply) while converted houses keep a pitched communal roof. We survey and cost both, and flag where a flat roof needs its falls corrected rather than another overlay.
Phased access, clear resident notices, protected communal routes, and waste removed promptly through a licensed carrier. We agree working hours and a single point of contact with the managing agent before we start.
Managing agents, freeholders and RTM companies across Beverley and Hull — call for a condition survey or a Section 20 specification.
0148 290 8437Last updated: August 2026