Consultation outcome

Tackling unfair practices in the leasehold market

• From: Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government
• Published: 25 July 2017
• Last updated: 21 December 2017 — See all updates

Applies to England

This consultation has concluded

Download the full outcome

Tackling unfair practices in the leasehold market: government response

Ref: ISBN 978-1-4098-5156-1

PDF, 562 KB, 32 pages

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Detail of outcome

The government’s consultation ‘Tackling unfair practices in the leasehold market’ looked at a range of measures to tackle unfair and unreasonable abuses of leasehold; in particular the sale of new leasehold houses and onerous ground rents.

The consultation received over 6,000 replies, demonstrating the strength of interest in the issue.

This document provides a summary of responses to the consultation. It also provides the government’s response which includes a range of measures such as introducing legislation to prohibit the development of new build houses; restricting ground rents in newly established leases of houses and flats to a peppercorn (zero financial value); and support for existing leaseholders, such as making buying a freehold or extending a lease easier, faster, fairer and cheaper.

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Original consultation

Summary

Seeks views on prohibiting the sale of new build leasehold houses, limiting ground rents and protecting leaseholders from possession orders.

This consultation ran from
9:30am on 25 July 2017 to 11:45pm on 19 September 2017

Consultation description

The government’s Housing White Paper ‘Fixing our broken housing market’ published in February 2017 highlighted the government’s aim to improve consumer choice and fairness in the leasehold sector.

This consultation looks at a range of measures to tackle unfair and unreasonable abuses of leasehold; in particular the sale of new leasehold houses and onerous ground rents.

The consultation also seeks views on excluding leaseholders from possession orders because of arrears of ground rent; and views on freeholders being able to challenge service charges for mixed tenure estates with shared facilities.

Documents

Tackling unfair practices in the leasehold market: consultation paper

Ref: ISBN 978-1-4098-5088-5

PDF, 261 KB, 34 pages

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If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email alternativeformats@communities.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Published 25 July 2017
Last updated 21 December 2017 + show all updates

1. 21 December 2017

   Summary of responses and government response added.

2. 25 July 2017

   First published.