Right to Manage activity is at a record high - here's what it means for your building
Leaseholders are taking control of their buildings in record numbers, and the trend shows no sign of slowing, according to our new report; the RTM Index 2026.
We’ve conducted independent research and discovered that Right to Manage (RTM) company formations hit an all-time high of 986 in 2025, up 79% in just six years. With 578 RTM companies already formed by the midpoint of 2026, this year is on track to break the record again.
What makes the trend so striking is the context. Housebuilding is slowing, and management company formations are falling too, yet RTM activity keeps climbing. Our analysis of more than fifteen years of Companies House and Office for National Statistics data shows this isn’t a blip, but a structural shift in how residents want their buildings run.
The numbers behind the story
To track this properly, we’ve built the Placekeeper RTM Index: a measure of RTM formation activity relative to housing completions, benchmarked against the long-term average.
A score of 100 represents that average. In 2025, the Index hit 155, meaning RTM activity is now 55% above the historic norm, more than double where it stood in 2019.
Several other findings from the report stand out:
- RTM formations per 1,000 housing completions rose from 2.6 in 2019 to 5.8 in 2025, well above the long-term average of 3.7.
- Housing completions fell by around 20% over the same period, from 214,290 to 170,390.
- Management company formations dropped 29% from their 2018 peak, to their lowest level since 2013.
- Annual RTM formations, which sat between roughly 525 and 676 for most of the 2010s, have jumped sharply since 2023: 694 in 2023, 800 in 2024, and 986 in 2025.
In short, while the wider housing market has cooled, resident-led management has gone in the opposite direction. That tells us something important is changing in how leaseholders think about who runs their buildings.
Our report points to several likely drivers for this RTM spike. From greater awareness of leaseholder rights to closer scrutiny of service charges as costs rise and the ongoing leasehold reform debate, it’s clear residents want more say than ever before. And a growing market of specialist advisers are making RTM applications more accessible than ever.
What this means for you
Whether you're a leaseholder considering RTM, a resident director already running one, a managing agent, or a developer thinking about long-term governance, this is a trend worth understanding rather than reacting to.
At Placekeeper, we work with developers, Residents' Management Companies, RTM Companies and resident directors across England to deliver transparent, professional property management.
This includes supporting leaseholders through the RTM process from the outset, and helping RTM companies put the governance, financial management and professional support in place to succeed once they've taken control.
We've spent more than fifteen years analysing this market, and we understand what good management looks like from both sides of the table.
You can read the full Placekeeper RTM Index 2026 report, including the complete data tables and methodology, by downloading the report here.
To discuss the findings in more detail, our team is always available on info@placekeeper.co.uk.
Placekeeper shortlisted for Property Management Company of the Year 2026
We're pleased to share that Placekeeper has made the shortlist for Property Management Company of the Year at the Manchester Property Awards 2026.
It's a nice one to land. The category is competitive, and being named alongside some genuinely strong management companies is a fair signal that the work is landing the way it should.
For us, this isn't about chasing recognition. Day to day, the job is unglamorous: keeping on top of maintenance, communicating clearly with residents, sorting problems before they become bigger problems. None of that tends to make headlines. So when an independent panel, including senior figures from Greater Manchester's ten boroughs and established names in the property industry, puts you on a list like this, it means something. It's a marker that the standards we hold ourselves to are actually showing up in how the business is run and how residents experience it.
The credit belongs to the whole team. Every renewal, every resolved query, every small decision made properly rather than quickly, that's what a shortlisting like this is built on.
Winners are announced at a gala ceremony on 6th November at The Point, Emirates Stadium, Manchester. More information here: Manchester Property Awards 2026
We'll be there on the night, and whatever happens, making the shortlist is something to be proud of in its own right.