December 13, 2024

20 MPs sign up to All-Party Parliamentary Group on leasehold and commonhold

Just before Easter it was decided to form an All-Party Parliamentary Group on residential leasehold and commonhold. It is proposed that the chairmen will be jointly Sir Peter Bottomley and Jim Fitzpatrick, both patrons of LKP, and LKP will provide the secretariat. So far 20 MPs and Lords have signed up to join the group, […]

LKP / Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation suggestions prompt amendments to Housing Bill

The House of Lords today discussed LKP suggested amendments to the Housing Bill to increase fairness for leaseholders. Proposed by Lord Young of Cookham – better known as the former Conservative MP Sir George Young – the first of his two amendments aimed to “level the playing field—which is currently tilted in favour of freeholders—for […]

What are Lord Best’s ‘modest proposals’ for leaseholders?

Chairman of the Hanover Housing Association Lord Best has “a number of relatively modest reforms which would make a difference to leaseholders’ lives”. Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation has contacted the cross-bench peer to discover what these might be. Lord Best has held a meeting of peers interested in leasehold issues. He referred to his […]

Urgent need to revisit leasehold reform, say Lords

The House of Lords had another short debate on leasehold reform last Thursday and urged the case for revisit the sector.  The debate was initiated by by LibDem peer Baroness Maddock, who said “further reform is still needed and is very much a live concern for the millions of people living in leasehold properties”. “The […]

MPs call for all-party group on leasehold

The Westminster meeting two days ago on right to manage organized by LKP / Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation saw an all-party group on leasehold becoming more likely. The move would certainly be backed by Sir Peter Bottomley, Conservative Swindon MPs Justin Tomlinson and Robert Buckland, as well as Jim Fitzpatrick, Labour MP for Poplar […]

‘Bribes’, ‘crooked operators’, ‘villains turned angels’: Aussie baroness puts the boot into the leasehold fairytale in the Lords

COMMENT How impressed one has to be with the lobbying activities of the lawyers in ALEP: the Association of Leasehold Enfrachisement Practitioners. It waives a piece of paper pointing out that the powers of attorney – for those who are incapacitated – does not apply in Landlord and Tenant Law and – in no time, […]

Mark Prisk’s department sabotages attempt to license leasehold managing agents

A clever Lords amendment by Baroness Gardner that would see leasehold managing agents required to have a licence will be sabotaged in the Commons tomorrow. Instead, the Department of Communities and Local Government wants to insist managing agents belong to an ombudsman scheme. Ombudsmen are widely popular among the vested interests in the status quo […]

‘Drive your MPs nearly mad to change leasehold,’ says Baroness Gardner

Around 250 leaseholders met in London tonight to hear Baroness Gardner of Parkes say that reform of the troubled sector is at last very much on the political agenda. “But to see this through you must keep on campaigning: make a real nuisance of yourselves,” she told the audience. “You have to drive MPs nearly mad […]

We are not going to protect leaseholders’ funds because … well, that’s what the last government wanted to do

The House of Lords was told today that key clauses in the legislation that would help protect leaseholders’ funds that are controlled by managing agents won’t come into force because this was the Labour government’s policy. This was the explanation from Baroness Hanham, Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government, why the Section […]

After £122,000 fraud, Baroness Gardner demands protection of leaseholders’ money held by managing agents

Following the conviction of fraudster Simon van Houten, 31, the Rendall and Rittner managing agent who “can expect a custodial sentence” for stealing £122,000 next Thursday, Baroness Gardner of Parkes is calling for leaseholder funds to be protected. Next Monday in the House of Lords, she is to ask the Government to introduce a transparent […]

Tchenguiz and Peverel named in House of Lords debate

Melissa Briggs, of Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation, meets Tory peer Baroness Gardner at the House of Lords in February Both the Tchenguiz family and Peverel were named in a House of Lords debate yesterday on leasehold service charges. They were singled out by Baroness Gardner of Parkes (Conservative) – the only freeholders and managing […]

Aussie baroness told leasehold law is just fine as it is

The government has no plans to introduce changes to leasehold law, regulated managing agents, enforce a code of practice or even insist that managing agents belong to an ombudsman scheme. That was the answer on Tuesday in the Lords to Baroness Gardner, who is a former dentist known as Trixie who is from Australia – […]