The Government is currently working with the Law Commission - the independent legal body charged with reviewing and simplifying the law and for making recommendations for changing or clarifying the law - on certain issues relating to existing leaseholders.
The Government has also promised to undertake further consultation and then propose new legislation on banning new leasehold houses and making restrictions to ground rents.
However, as an all-party committee of MPs concerned with Housing , Communities and Local Government, we are particularly concerned with what more can be done for existing leaseholders, in both houses and flats. There are around four million leasehold homes in England. We’ve heard evidence that leaseholders are often affected by onerous terms such as high service and administrative charges, large increases in ground rents and barriers to buying freeholds.
That’s why we have launched an inquiry1 into the Government’s leasehold reform programme and in particular how existing leaseholders in both houses and flats facing onerous leasehold terms can be supported. We will examine progress made on leasehold reform, following the conclusion of the Government’s consultation on tackling unfair practices in the leasehold market in 2017.
We want to ensure that any reforms do tackle some of the troubling practices in the sector. We will examine the effectiveness of any proposals, and find out what more needs to be done to boost confidence in the system and ensure fairness for both existing and future leaseholders.
We can only do this if you get involved.
We want you to tell us your views on
- the adequacy of the Government’s programme of work on residential leasehold reform in both houses and flats and whether additional reforms are required
- what the government could do to help existing leaseholders, in both houses and flats, who are affected by onerous leasehold terms; and
- about the implications of providing such support and government intervention to these existing leaseholders.
It’s a really tight timetable. We need to get your written submissions by Friday 7 September 2018.
So, don’t delay. Tell me now please. Just go to:
