Minister ‘missed opportunity’ on leasehold reform

The Housing minister missed an “ideal opportunity” to clarify when leasehold reforms will be implemented when answering questions in the House of Commons yesterday.

Matthew Pennycook once again expressed the government support for leasehold reform during a question session in the House of Commons. But Propertymark is disappointed that he again failed to commit to a timetable for changes in the law.

Timothy Douglas, head of policy and campaigns at Propertymark, commented: “Yesterday’s questions on Housing, Communities, and Local Government held in the House of Commons contained reassuring commitments from the UK Government, such as ending the unfair practice of ‘fleeceholding’, which combines freeholding and leaseholding, promoting a brownfield-first approach to housebuilding that Propertymark has argued for in order to safeguard the green belt, and £1.5 million to go towards local councils to use their High Street Rental Auctions powers to bring life back to England’s empty high streets.

“However, Mr Pennycook missed out on an ideal opportunity to clarify when the Leasehold and Freehold Act 2024 will be implemented properly, which would provide much needed reassurance and a greater degree of fairness to leaseholders in England and Wales who are  currently faced with excessive leasehold charges.”