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Important Note

This page is general guidance only, not legal advice. RTM eligibility can turn on lease wording, floor-area measurements, and ownership structure, so complex or borderline cases should be checked with a solicitor or specialist adviser.

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Building Requirements

Your building must meet these criteria:
Contains at least two flats
At least two-thirds of flats are held by qualifying tenants
At least 50% of the internal floor area is residential, so non-residential parts must not exceed 50%
Self-contained building or part of a building

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Qualifying Tenant Requirements

A qualifying tenant is usually a leaseholder of a flat held on a long lease. For RTM purposes, a long lease generally means one originally granted for more than 21 years, even if fewer than 21 years remain now. To be a qualifying tenant, you will usually need to:
Hold a long lease of a flat (usually one originally granted for more than 21 years)
Not be a business tenant
Not have more than two flats in the building

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Participation Requirements

To make an RTM claim:
At least 50% of qualifying tenants must participate
Participants must become members of the RTM company

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Buildings That Cannot Claim RTM

RTM is not available for:
  • Certain converted buildings with a resident landlord and four or fewer flats, where the statutory resident-landlord exclusion applies
  • Buildings already managed by an RTM company
  • Buildings where the local authority is the landlord
  • Buildings that don’t meet the structural requirements

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Check Your Eligibility

Use our RTM Eligibility Checker to quickly assess whether your building qualifies.

RTM Eligibility Checker

Answer a few questions to find out if your building qualifies for RTM