Why This Falls on RTM Boards
When leaseholders take on the Right to Manage, the RTM company becomes legally responsible for the building — not just day-to-day management, but the harder things too, including fire safety and, where it's needed, external wall remediation. Most RTM directors are volunteers: leaseholders who put themselves forward to get better management of their block, not to become experts in PAS 9980, government funding schemes or construction procurement.
That gap — between what the role legally requires and what any reasonable volunteer director can be expected to know — is exactly where most RTM boards get stuck. Not because the building's problem is unusual, but because the process of dealing with it properly is unfamiliar, slow-moving, and involves several different specialists who don't naturally talk to each other unless someone makes them.
What RTM Directors Are Actually Responsible For
As the entity with legal responsibility for the building, an RTM company is typically the Responsible Entity for fire safety and remediation purposes. In practice, that generally means the board is responsible for making sure:
- A proper assessment of the external wall fire risk is commissioned where there's reason to think one is needed — see our guide to whether your building needs a FRAEW.
- Any findings are acted on appropriately, whether that's interim safety measures or full remediation.
- Government funding routes, such as the Cladding Safety Scheme or Building Safety Fund, are explored where the building may be eligible.
- Leaseholders and residents are kept properly informed throughout, including where EWS1 forms are needed for sales or remortgages.
- Records are kept of what's been done, by whom, and on what basis — increasingly important under the Building Safety Act.
External wall remediation in progress on a residential block — the kind of project an RTM board becomes responsible for once a risk is identified.
None of this requires the board itself to become technically expert. It does require someone to make sure the right specialists are appointed, briefed correctly, and kept moving — which is where a coordinator like Wrightwood typically comes in.
Not legal advice
This page explains the general position in practical terms. It isn't legal advice, and it doesn't tell you what your specific RTM company is required to do for your building. Your company's own legal and professional advisers are best placed to confirm your obligations and any personal exposure for directors.
Common Situations RTM Boards Find Themselves In
Every building is different, but most RTM boards we speak to recognise one of these starting points:
A lender has requested an EWS1A leaseholder's sale or remortgage is stalling because the lender wants an EWS1, and the board isn't sure what's already in place or what needs commissioning. See FRAEW vs EWS1.
A FRAEW has flagged a problemAn assessment has come back identifying risk, and the board now needs to work out what remediation involves, what it costs, and how to fund it. See what happens after a FRAEW.
Residents are raising concernsLeaseholders are asking questions the board can't confidently answer, and the directors want a clear, honest position to communicate back.
No one has looked at this yetThe board suspects there may be an issue — construction type, building height, or general uncertainty — but nothing formal has been commissioned.
Problems like this are often only found once someone looks closely — which is exactly why an early, proper assessment matters.
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How Wrightwood Supports RTM Companies
Wrightwood acts as the board's coordinator and project manager — appointing and managing the specialists involved, and giving the directors one point of contact rather than several separate relationships to manage themselves.
Initial review
We review what's already known about the building — existing reports, correspondence, drawings — and help the board understand where things genuinely stand.
Appoint the right specialist
Where a FRAEW or other assessment is needed, we identify and appoint a suitably qualified, independent fire engineer or facade consultant, and brief them properly on the building.
Translate the findings
We explain what the report actually means for your building in plain terms, and set out the realistic options — not just the technical conclusions.
Funding and procurement
Where funding routes may apply, we help the board understand and pursue them, and manage procurement and tendering for any remediation works required.
Project delivery
We provide client-side project management through design, approval and construction, keeping the board and residents informed throughout.
Sign-off
We manage completion, certification and any EWS1 documentation needed, so leaseholders can move forward with sales, remortgages or peace of mind.
We coordinate — we don't carry out assessments ourselves
Wrightwood is not the fire engineer or FRAEW assessor. We appoint and manage suitably qualified, independent specialists on the board's behalf, and make sure their work fits together into one coherent project.
Why RTM Boards Choose to Bring In a Coordinator
The directors we work with are usually capable people managing this alongside full-time jobs and their own lives — the issue is rarely ability, it's time, unfamiliarity with the process, and the risk of getting something procedurally wrong on a project that only happens once. Bringing in a coordinator means the board retains oversight and decision-making, while someone else carries the day-to-day technical and administrative load, chases the specialists, and keeps the project moving between board meetings.