Rushcliffe’s MP, James Naish, has welcomed a government consultation that will give millions of homeowners across England and Wales stronger rights and protections over their homes. The consultation was launched in early July and will close at the end of September.
Leaseholders are currently required to pay a service charge to cover the upkeep of shared areas. However, in too many cases, they are left facing unclear and unaffordable fees.
Demands for service charges are currently only required by law to include limited details, which can leave payees in the dark about what services or works make up their bill. This leaves residents at risk of being overcharged for poor quality work, or out of pocket for work that has not been carried out in some of the worst cases, on top of existing cost-of-living pressures.
James Naish MP said: “I am acutely aware that there are thousands of households across Rushcliffe, especially on new-build estates, that feel that the current system is broken. They are effectively paying a second council tax to other organisations to look after common areas.
“This isn’t just a local problem, which is why I’m working with a group of over 90 MPs who are determined to see an end to freehold, leasehold and service management problems. I’m also working with local councillors closely, including Councillor Carys Thomas from East Leake who recently gave expert evidence to a House of Commons Select Committee on this issue.”
Switching on measures in the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 will ensure almost five million leaseholders in England and Wales have the transparency that they need to better hold managing agents to account. The government is pushing ahead to implement these reforms and is consulting over the best way forward to ensure they are robust, workable and protect payees effectively.
James Naish MP continued: “Too many of my constituents are trapped in a broken leasehold system, facing unfair bills, unaccountable managing agents and no real power to challenge poor service. I’ve been contacted by residents in East Leake, Keyworth and Radcliffe-on-Trent about their bills in recent months which shows how widespread this problem is. We must give homeowners greater rights, powers and protections over their homes.”
Further reforms that the government is seeking views on as part of this consultation include improving the Section 20 ‘major works’ process, to ensure leaseholders are not hit by one-off, unexpected and very large bills with little or no notice as is the case currently.
The consultation is part of the government’s wider mission to end the feudal leasehold system, reinvigorate commonhold and give homeowners real control over their homes.
In the second half of this year, the government intends to publish an ambitious draft Leasehold and Commonhold Reform Bill which will set out a reformed commonhold model. There will also be a consultation on banning the use of leasehold for new blocks of flats.
The recently launched consultation can be accessed here:
