England and Wales · Property Chamber
Which service-charge costs fall outside the 18-month demand window?
The landlord seeking a service-charge contribution. Costs incurred more than 18 months before actual demand service are excluded, subject to section 20B(2). Establish service of the demand and identify when each relevant cost was actually incurred. Section 20B(1) restricts liability for the part of a service charge reflecting older relevant costs. It does not extinguish the entire demand automatically. A qualifying written notification under subsection (2) can preserve recovery of those costs.
- Period
- Costs incurred more than 18 months before actual demand service are excluded, subject to section 20B(2)
- Trigger
- The date the demand for payment was actually served on the tenant
- Rule
- Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, s.20B(1) and (2)
Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, s.20B(1) and (2). Section 20B(1) restricts liability for the part of a service charge reflecting older relevant costs. It does not extinguish the entire demand automatically. A qualifying written notification under subsection (2) can preserve recovery of those costs.
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Which service-charge costs fall outside the 18-month demand window?
The landlord seeking a service-charge contribution. Costs incurred more than 18 months before actual demand service are excluded, subject to section 20B(2). Establish service of the demand and identify when each relevant cost was actually incurred. Section 20B(1) restricts liability for the part of a service charge reflecting older relevant costs. It does not extinguish the entire demand automatically. A qualifying written notification under subsection (2) can preserve recovery of those costs.
Responsible actor. The landlord seeking a service-charge contribution.
The date the demand for payment was actually served on the tenant
Actual valid demand service and incurred-cost dates established
Section 20B(1) restricts liability for the part of a service charge reflecting older relevant costs. It does not extinguish the entire demand automatically. A qualifying written notification under subsection (2) can preserve recovery of those costs.
Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, s.20B(1) and (2)How does this provision count time?
- Count back 18 calendar months from actual demand service. A cost on the corresponding date is not more than 18 months old. Do not turn this substantive comparison into a tribunal filing date.
- Establish service of the demand and identify when each relevant cost was actually incurred
- A weekend does not change the age of an incurred cost. The corresponding 18-month lookback date remains part of the cost comparison. Establish demand service separately; this date is not a last day for filing a service-charge case.
Count back 18 calendar months from actual demand service. A cost on the corresponding date is not more than 18 months old. Do not turn this substantive comparison into a tribunal filing date.
A weekend does not change the age of an incurred cost. The corresponding 18-month lookback date remains part of the cost comparison. Establish demand service separately; this date is not a last day for filing a service-charge case.
Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, s.20B(1) and (2)What do independently checked examples show?
Fictitious example
Fictitious actual source event. The date the demand for payment was actually served on the tenant established on Tuesday, October 13, 2026. Establish service of the demand and identify when each relevant cost was actually incurred. All selected source conditions are established unless this scenario expressly refuses them.
| Step | What is counted | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Example 1. Ordinary established facts | Fictitious actual source event. The date the demand for payment was actually served on the tenant established on Tuesday, October 13, 2026. Establish service of the demand and identify when each relevant cost was actually incurred. All selected source conditions are established unless this scenario expressly refuses them. Independently derived with Python calendar correspondence or counted calendar dates, without importing the application helper or engine. | Sunday, April 13, 2025 |
| Example 2. Closed-day boundary | Fictitious actual source event. The date the demand for payment was actually served on the tenant established on Monday, October 5, 2026. Establish service of the demand and identify when each relevant cost was actually incurred. All selected source conditions are established unless this scenario expressly refuses them. Independently derived with Python calendar correspondence or counted calendar dates, without importing the application helper or engine. | Saturday, April 5, 2025 |
| Example 3. Material procedural branch | Fictitious actual source event. The date the demand for payment was actually served on the tenant established on Tuesday, October 13, 2026. Establish service of the demand and identify when each relevant cost was actually incurred. All selected source conditions are established unless this scenario expressly refuses them. Independently derived with Python calendar correspondence or counted calendar dates, without importing the application helper or engine. | The legally established incurred-cost or effective demand-service event is missing. Do not substitute an invoice date or infer notification absence. |
Fictitious established facts. These examples do not establish eligibility, effective service, relief or a direction.
Try these dates in the calculatorWhich conditions and exceptions apply?
- Applicable source condition 1
- Actual valid demand service and incurred-cost dates established
- Applicable source condition 2
- Section 20B(2) notification branch separately established or expressly absent
- Applicable source condition 3
- Corresponding month date exists; no automatic month-end substitution
- Counting and completion
- Count back 18 calendar months from actual demand service. A cost on the corresponding date is not more than 18 months old. Do not turn this substantive comparison into a tribunal filing date. A weekend does not change the age of an incurred cost. The corresponding 18-month lookback date remains part of the cost comparison. Establish demand service separately; this date is not a last day for filing a service-charge case.
- Section 20B(1) restricts liability for the part of a service charge reflecting older relevant costs. It does not extinguish the entire demand automatically. A qualifying written notification under subsection (2) can preserve recovery of those costs.
- Section 20B(1) restricts liability for the part of a service charge reflecting older relevant costs. It does not extinguish the entire demand automatically. A qualifying written notification under subsection (2) can preserve recovery of those costs.
What must the responsible actor complete?
Questions about this procedure
Which service-charge costs fall outside the 18-month demand window?
Does the 18 months run from the invoice date?
The Act uses when the relevant costs were incurred. An invoice or payment date is not automatically the legally established incurred-cost date.
Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, s.20B(1) and (2)Does a written notification replace the demand?
A qualifying section 20B(2) notification can prevent the subsection (1) restriction. It must notify incurred costs and the tenant’s subsequent lease contribution.
Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, s.20B(1) and (2)Is a cost exactly 18 months old excluded?
Subsection (1) uses more than 18 months. The corresponding-date boundary is included in this comparison, subject to an established month interpretation.
Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, s.20B(1) and (2)Does one old cost invalidate the whole service charge?
The restriction concerns so much of the service charge as reflects those older costs. Assess the relevant costs separately.
Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, s.20B(1) and (2)Does posting the demand establish service?
The source requires a demand served on the tenant. Establish effective service under the actual lease and applicable law before entering its date.
Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, s.20B(1) and (2)Does a weekend move the lookback boundary?
This is a substantive cost-age comparison, not a procedural tribunal act. Do not borrow the Property Chamber filing calendar.
Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, s.20B(1) and (2)Official sources and review
Provisions used (1)
| Provision | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, s.20B(1) and (2) | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |