Housing minister slammed over ‘missing’ draft leasehold reform Bill
Draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill programme, which began in 2017, is not now likely to be implemented until 2027.
The Government has confirmed that the draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill has been delayed yet again, despite repeated commitments to Parliament.
Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook has written to the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee to say the draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill will now be published in the New Year.
Home ownership dream has turned into a nightmare as they’ve faced soaring ground rent hikes and unreasonable fees.”
In response to the news, Florence Eshalomi (main image), Chair of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee, has issued a rebuke to those involved, saying: “For too many leaseholders, the home ownership dream has turned into a nightmare as they’ve faced soaring ground rent hikes and unreasonable fees.
“The Government’s failure to bring forward the draft legislation before the end of the year, as repeatedly promised, is deeply disappointing. The delay will cause further uncertainty for long-suffering leaseholders.
“The legislation will be technical, and it is vital the Government gets this right so that reforms deliver for leaseholders. However, further delay will make implementing reform during this Parliament a real challenge. I urge the Government to make every effort to ensure the draft Bill is brought forward as soon as possible in the New Year.”
10 year delay
Leasehold reform was first announced in 2017 and has since suffered repeated delays. While the 2024 Act addressed some areas, the remaining reforms cover the abolition or replacement of forfeiture, further limits on service charges and fees, changes to enfranchisement and right-to-manage rules, and the reform and expansion of commonhold as an alternative to leasehold for flats.
In evidence to the committee on 23 November, Housing Secretary Steve Reed had originally promised the draft Bill would be published “before the end of the year”.
On current parliamentary timetables, full implementation of the remaining reforms is now widely expected to be in 2027, almost a decade after the process began.
