If you’re a leaseholder in Southampton Test you may have received a recent letter from me on Labour’s newly launched Leaseholder Consultation. I hear from so many leaseholders who are fed up with unclear, and often excessive service charges, or who are dealing with managing agents who aren’t up to scratch. Labour wants to fix this by strengthening leaseholder rights, offering new protections and real transparency. Have your say on leaseholder reform and take part.
Dear resident,
For far too many leaseholders the reality of home ownership has fallen woefully short of the dream – their lives marked by an intermittent, if not constant, struggle with punitive and escalating ground rents; unjustified permissions and administration fees; unreasonable or extortionate charges; and onerous conditions imposed with little or no consultation. This is not what home ownership should entail.
I know this has sadly been the situation for many leaseholders, and it’s through you contacting me, that together, we have kept pushing for more rights for leaseholders. And the government has listened, and reform is coming.
A consultation has now been launched, entitled “Strengthening leaseholder protections over fees, charges and services”, and it needs Southampton voices.
The consultation is in two parts. The first focuses on how to implement key measures in the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024, including:
– Making service charge demands more transparent and easier to challenge with new standardised service charge demand forms, annual reports, service charge accounts and administration charges and improving transparency around buildings insurance fees.
– Removing barriers for leaseholders to challenge their landlord and scraping the presumption that leaseholders have to pay their landlords’ litigation costs even when they win their case.
The second part looks at going further, with proposals to:
– Reform the Section 20 ‘major works’ procedure that leaseholders go through when they face large bills for works;
– Introduce mandatory qualifications for managing agents so that all agents have the knowledge and skills they need to provide a good service for leaseholders.
Taken together, the various proposals outlined in the consultation will provide existing leaseholders with far greater rights and protections and will empower them to challenge poor practice and unreasonable charge and fees. These are just one part of the government’s plans to bring the feudal leasehold system to an end. The government also intends to publish an ambitious draft Leasehold and Commonhold Reform Bill later this year.
Some parts of the consultation are technical, but you can respond to as much or as little as you wish. The consultation will last 12 weeks and closes at the end of September, here’s the link Strengthening leaseholder protections over fees, charges and services: consultation – Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government – Citizen Space.
As your MP, I’ll continue to press for a fairer, more transparent system for leaseholders. Your experience matters. I hope you’ll take this opportunity to shape the future of these reforms and please do contact me if you need any further assistance. My email is Satvir.kaur.mp@parliament.uk and the office number is 02382 546357.
Best wishes, Satvir Kaur, Member of Parliament for Southampton Test