Just as George Osborne backs huge expansion of the wretched state of retirement housing provision in this country, up pops the Law Commissioner Stephen Lewis to point out one aspect that is very wrong with it: exit fees, or now called event fees. And he wants to hear your views on the subject before January […]
Metcalfe Court: how a retirement site has benefited from RTM (including 20% savings compared with FirstPort)
November 26, 2015 By
The road to RTM After an embittered struggle with the Tchenguiz organisation – which also saw the involvement of two MPs – Metcalfe Court, in Romiley, in Cheshire, broke free and took over its right to manage last February. Below the RTM directors write to Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation / LKP to share their […]
What WE want from the Housing Bill
November 25, 2015 By
Now is the time for all leaseholders seeking reform to put pressure on MPs to get leasehold addressed in the Housing Bill. Please write to your MP to demand that these changes form part of the new law. Below is the extensive LKP / Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation submission to the committee stage of […]
Bring in commonhold by 2020, says MP Jim Fitzpatrick
November 25, 2015 By
Jim Fitzpatrick, the Labour MP for Poplar and Limehouse and a patron of LKP, has moved an amendment to the Housing Bill that will see leasehold ended by January 1 2020. Instead, flats should be sold through commonhold tenure only. This is the first time since the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act of 2002 that […]
Retirement villages reported by BBC
November 14, 2015 By
The BBC website has reported some of the issues concerning retirement housing provision. The piece examines the “retirement village” model of upscale retirement housing. The full piece can be read here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-34808285
No more retirements flats until leasehold rip-offs are ended
November 1, 2015 By
Norman Greed, a veteran of a right to manage dispute and winning back unfair service charges, says no more retirement flats should be built under the rip-off leasehold system Once again the leaseholders of England and Wales have been let down by the legal system. In this article I will cover three items I wish […]
RTM: Touting for business (again)
October 27, 2015 By
LKP has been contacted by a number RTM sites worried about a letter which ominously warns “URGENT- YOUR RTM COMPANY MAY BE ILLEGAL”. If you have had one of these letters it may also warn in capital letters your RTM should “ACT NOW”. LKP would suggest you act with caution. Quoting some case and suggesting […]
Important AgeUK event – exit fees
October 27, 2015 By
On 19th November AgeUK is holding an event for “older leaseholders” on exit/transfer fees as part of the Law Commissions review of these type of charges. The Law Commission project is just entering the public phase having reached their preliminary findings. The project will end some time next year when they present their formal recommendations […]
Homewalk House can’t have energy efficient LEDs, because ‘we think £14,000 dimmers are better, says FirstPort’
September 17, 2015 By
A furious resident at Homewalk House in Sydenham, south-east London, is complaining that FirstPort is blocking a proposal to introduce energy efficient LED lighting which could save residents money. The below is the complaint of John Lillywhite to FirstPort. We are happy to publish any reply. Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation would be interested to […]
Leasehold ‘a lucrative way to stop people from buying their own home outright’ – Daily Mail
September 13, 2015 By
Questions must now be asked of housebuilders playing the leasehold game by building leasehold houses wherever possible in preference to freehold. Some of the country’s biggest housebuilders – such as Persimmon and Bellway – are involved in the racket. Politicians supposedly concerned with issues of leasehold should be questioning this matter. Indeed, Persimmon should be […]
Getting right to manage … right
September 6, 2015 By
The Right to Manage came into existence as part of the 2002 Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act. The government of the day saw RTM as a simple right to allow leaseholders rather than landlords to control the destiny of the site. Why your site needs RTM It will over time give you the lowest costs […]
Accountant tells MPs of murky world of leasehold service charge accounts
July 23, 2015 By
The murky world of leasehold service charge accounts was laid bare to MPs and leading figures in leasehold at a Commons round-table organised by LKP earlier this month. Accountant Nick Hunwick, of Simpson Wreford & Partners which acts for 500 legal entities involved in leasehold service charge accounts in the South East, gave his overview […]
