Service charges in commercial property
Published June 2025
Effective from 31 December 2025
Reissued 8 October 2025
Please note: On 8 October 2025, this professional standard was reissued to address an error at page 5, subsection 1.6. The original wording ‘This professional standard is effective for all service charge periods commencing from 31 December 2025’ has been amended to ‘This professional standard is effective from 31 December 2025’.
Aimed at commercial property managers and occupiers in the UK, this 2nd edition professional standard promotes best practice, uniformity, fairness and transparency in the management and administration of service charges in commercial property.
The document aims to help ensure that budgets and year-end certificates are issued in a timely manner and encourages a reduction in the causes of disputes (and where there are disputes, provide guidance on resolution). It provides guidance to solicitors, their clients (whether owners or occupiers) and managers of service charges in the negotiation, drafting, interpretation and operation of leases, in accordance with best practice.
This professional standard also sets mandatory requirements for RICS members and RICS-regulated firms, which will encourage service charges to be managed with greater consistency and due diligence.
The basis for conclusions details the engagement RICS had on this standard and reasons for decisions made.
Three templates for voluntary agreements are also available to download below.
Service charges in commercial property, 2nd edition, is effective from 31 December 2025.