… Opposition and government now compete to reform leasehold The four-year campaign of the Leasehold Knowledge Partnership to reform leasehold has taken a surge forward this week. Today Labour said that it will cap charges that leaseholders pay in ground rents, and set out a plan to end leasehold houses in new developments. Meanwhile, government […]
Archives for 2016
BBC One Show warnings over retirement housing’s ‘sting in the tail’
November 25, 2016 By
The BBC One Show on prime time telly featured retirement housing earlier this week (November 22). It can be viewed here at 2.09 minutes The presenters warned that retirement housing can come with a “financial sting in the tail that can hit families at the worst possible time”. Sebastian O’Kelly, of Campaign against retirement leasehold […]
Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation and AgeUK reject Law Commission draft on exit fees
November 14, 2016 By
Law Commission backs developers over huge exit fees, and dumps OFT qualms over ‘likely’ unfair contract terms What began as an exercise supposedly to help pensioners and their families facing exit fees in retirement properties has ended up with the Law Commission backing the charges. The Law Commissioner Stephen Lewis met Campaign against retirement leasehold […]
Man, 90, dies in fire at Homepine House
November 13, 2016 By
A 90-year-old resident of Homepine House died in a fire at Homepine House, in Folkestone, on Saturday night. Emergency services were called after a fire broke out on the fifth floor in the bedroom of the resident, who has not been named. The website Kent Online reported the fire here and quoted police saying: “A […]
Disgraceful leasehold houses reported in The Guardian today
October 29, 2016 By
– Urgent issue for MPs of parliamentary group on leasehold next month – Onerous lease terms in taxpayer-aided Help To Buy scheme – Ground rents doubling every 10 years from plc housebuilder The disgraceful and increasingly widespread scandal of plc housebuilders selling leasehold houses is reported in The Guardian today. It can be read here The […]
Pauline Jones brings right to manage to retirement sites in the North West
October 28, 2016 By
Macclesfield-based managing agent Pauline Jones today has taken another retirement site right to manage: Warburton Court, in Uppermill, in Oldham, Greater Manchester. The RTM was won on the third attempt, and the entire application was handled in-house. Two earlier efforts, where solicitors were employed, hit problems and were declined by the freeholder, part of the […]
99% of FirstPort’s 3,800 service charge accounts are up to date
October 28, 2016 By
LKP / Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation has not been backward in criticising Peverel / FirstPort over the years. However, it is reasonable and fair that the company’s achievement in getting on top of the service charge accounts is recognised. Here FirstPort CEO Nigel Howell (below right) explains that more than 99% of its service charge […]
Low cost right to manage, from Urban Owners (which has done nearly 500 of them)
October 27, 2016 By
– Tech savvy company manages large, complex, mixed-use sites right down to conversions of two flats – More than 450 RTMs completed for leaseholders The latest property management company to become accredited to LKP / Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation is Urban Owners, which is an acknowledged expert in gaining leaseholders the right to manage. […]
The Guardian reports the £8,000 a year ground rents at Blythe Court
October 22, 2016 By
The Guardian newspaper has today reported the Blythe Court ground rent scandal that has left leaseholders with bills of up to £8,000 a year. In 95 years the ground rents can reach £8 million a year for a one-bedroom flat bought for £58,000, says the article, written by Guardian staff reporter Rupert Jones. It quotes […]
Guardian reports Warner Court breaking free from FirstPort and Tchenguiz
October 15, 2016 By
The Guardian newspaper today reports the right to manage struggle at Warner Court in Camberley, Surrey, and its efforts to break free of the Tchenguiz / FirstPort management. There has been a cascade of retirement right to manage applications this summer. Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation reports the issues of Warner Court here Many retirement […]
Private Eye reports challenge to ‘scandal’ of lease extension values
September 28, 2016 By
Private Eye today published reports of the legal challenge to the “scandal” of lease extension valuations mounted by chartered surveyor James Wyatt. Wyatt, a former head of valuations at John D Wood, is urging the adoption of a more mathematically robust method to value short leases: that is leasehold properties, usually flats, that have less […]
Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation is ‘slanted’ over retirement resale prices. The picture is more positive, says McCarthy and Stone
September 16, 2016 By
Statement from McCarthy & Stone The majority of properties managed by McCarthy & Stone have increased in value when resold (based on data relating to managed properties resold in 2016 to-date) and historical data suggests around a third of all our properties outperform their local market. In addition, our newer properties are better-placed to retain […]
