Brocade
Pixel art of a financial ledger with pound symbols and a budget chart -- illustrating service charge management

Service charge software for managing agents and RTM or RMC directors

Leaseholders demanding to know where their money goes -- and your answer is a spreadsheet? Automated demand generation, a resident portal, and full audit trails give leaseholders the transparency they're asking for.

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27%

of RTM company concerns relate to service charges

GBP 250

Per-unit threshold triggering S.20 consultation

Service charges are where trust breaks down -- and where tribunal claims are born

Whether you're an RTM or RMC director handling service charges yourself, or a managing agent facing increasingly demanding leaseholders, the pressure is real. 27% of RTM company concerns relate to service charges. A spreadsheet can't give leaseholders the visibility they want, and it can't give you the audit trail a tribunal demands.

Everything you need to manage service charges properly

Demand generation, budget tracking, leaseholder transparency, Section 20 workflows, and reserve fund management -- integrated, not bolted on.

Automated demand generation

Generate itemised service charge demands from your budget -- no copy-paste, no manual calculations. Leaseholders see exactly what they're paying for and why, before they ask.

Budget vs actual tracking

Monitor spending against budget in real time. Variance alerts flag overspent categories before the year-end reconciliation reveals surprises you can't explain.

Leaseholder portal

Residents log in and see every charge, every receipt, every budget category. Transparency that answers their questions before they become complaints -- or tribunal claims.

Section 20 consultation workflow

Guided process for qualifying works above GBP 250 per unit. Track notices, responses, and deadlines with automatic warnings -- missing a S.20 obligation makes costs irrecoverable.

Reserve fund ledger

An append-only ledger records every contribution and expenditure permanently. You can show leaseholders exactly where the reserve fund stands and plan for major works with confidence.

Payment reconciliation

Match incoming payments to outstanding demands automatically. See who has paid, who is in arrears, and follow up with structured workflows -- not another spreadsheet column.

The numbers behind service charge management

27%

of RTM company concerns relate to service charges

LEASE enquiry data analysis

GBP 250

Per-unit threshold triggering S.20 consultation

Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, s.20

18 months

S.20B deadline before costs become irrecoverable

Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, s.20B

12,303

Active RTM companies in England managing their own charges

Companies House data

Spreadsheet service charges

  • Demands generated manually -- with the errors that come from copy-paste
  • Leaseholders asking where their money goes and getting a vague answer
  • S.20 consultation deadlines tracked in a calendar with no audit trail
  • Reserve fund balance is a best guess, not a verified ledger
  • Year-end reconciliation takes weeks of forensic work

With Brocade

  • Itemised demands generated from your budget automatically
  • Leaseholder portal giving full transparency before they ask
  • S.20 consultation tracked with deadlines, responses, and evidence
  • Append-only reserve fund ledger with real-time balances
  • Balancing charges calculated automatically from actuals vs estimates
UK-hosted data
Full audit trail on every transaction
Leaseholder data isolated per building
S.20 and S.20B compliance built in

The only platform where compliance costs flow into service charges

Built by a team that has worked with building managers, read every BSA regulation, and designed Brocade around how residential blocks are run.

From the founders

We’re building this with you, not just for you

The first 25 buildings get 40% off for 24 months — and a direct line to the product team. You tell us what’s missing. We build it. That’s the deal.

See founding pricing
Pricing

Your service charges transparent, defensible, and audit-ready

From GBP 49/month + GBP 2.50/unit

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See how other building managers handle service charges properly

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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.

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.

Feature Comparison

SupportedNot available
FeatureBrocadeResidentBlockProBlockcare 300Blocks OnlineArthurFixfloMosaicGT
Section 20 Consultation WorkflowYesPartialNot publicly documentedNot publicly documentedPartialNot publicly documentedMajor works, from Jul 2026No
Section 20B 18-Month Demand TrackingYesNot publicly documentedNot publicly documentedNot publicly documentedNot publicly documentedNot publicly documentedNoNo
RICS Budget CategoriesYesYesPartialYesYesPartialNoNo
Year-End Service Charge AccountsYesYesPartialYesYesPartialNoNo
Compliance-Linked Demands (FRA / Checks)YesNoPartialNoNoNoNoPartial
Checksummed Audit TrailYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
Leaseholder PortalYesYesYesSelf-service portalYesYesTenant reportingNo
Contractor ManagementYesYesBasicNoYesYesYesNo
Transparent Public PricingYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
Built for UK Leasehold (Not Adapted)YesYesYesYesYesPartialYesYes

Where a feature is marked "Not publicly documented", we could not verify it from the vendor's public website. This is not a judgement on whether the feature exists, only that we would not rely on it without a direct demo.

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. S.20 and S.20B workflows 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

  • S.20 consultation workflow and S.20B 18-month demand tracking are first-class, not a bolt-on
  • 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.

PlatformPublic pricingEntry pointNotes
BrocadePublished£49 / mo base + £2.50 per unitNo enterprise minimum. Per-building pricing, monthly billing.
ResidentOn requestContact salesPricing not published on the public website.
BlockProOn requestContact salesPricing not published on the public website.
Blockcare 300Published£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 OnlineOn requestContact salesPricing not published on the public website.
ArthurPublished (tiered)From published tiers, lettings-firstTiered plans published, mix of lettings and block management use cases.
FixfloPublished (repairs core)Repairs pricing publishedPricing is for the repairs product. The Section 20 workspace added in July 2026 is not listed on the pricing page, so confirm plan coverage.
MosaicGTOn requestContact salesGolden 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, S.20 and S.20B as first-class workflows, 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

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