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1123154

	registered interest
	date	25/04/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Leasehold
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what progress he has made on proposals to (a) protect and (b) improve the rights of leaseholders in England and Wales.
	tabling member constituency	Stalybridge and Hyde
	tabling member printed	Jonathan Reynolds
	uin	247698
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/05/2019 answer text <p>The Government is committed to reforming the leasehold system to ensure fairness and transparency for leaseholders. Last year, we consulted on implementing the ban on new leasehold houses and restricting ground rents on future leases to zero financial value, and will provide a government response in due course.</p><p>We are working with the Law Commission, who are taking forward a programme of work and recently consulted on:</p><ul><li>making buying a freehold or extending a lease easier, quicker and more cost effective;</li><li>reinvigorating commonhold, so that it is a viable alternative to leasehold; and</li><li>making it easier for leaseholders to exercise the Right to Manage, and take control of their blocks.</li></ul><p>The Law Commission are now analysing responses and will report back to the Government with recommendations later this year.</p><p>In addition, the Government has established a working group chaired by Lord Best to raise standards across the property management sector. This group will consider the transparency of service charges, and how they should be presented to consumers, and the best means for challenging unjustified fees. The group is instructed to report back in 2019 and the Government will consider its recommendations. We are also ensuring all landlord freeholders belong to a redress scheme and giving freeholders on private or mixed use estates equivalent rights to leaseholders to challenge communal costs.</p><p>The Government recently announced an industry led Pledge so that leaseholders with 10 or 15 year doubling ground rents can have their lease terms amended voluntarily. We have also said that we will be clamping down on unjustified legal costs for leaseholders, we will implement the majority of the Law Commission's recommendations on 'event fees' in the retirement sector.</p> answering member constituency South Derbyshire answering member printed Mrs Heather Wheeler question first answered 03/05/2019 13:41:52 answering member 4053 label Biography information for Mrs Heather Wheeler
	tabling member	4119 label Biography information for Jonathan Reynolds

1091358

	registered interest
	date	19/03/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Leasehold
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the average cost of leasehold enfranchisement for (a) leasehold houses, (b) leasehold flats and (c) all leasehold properties in each year since 2010.
	tabling member constituency	Croydon Central
	tabling member printed	Sarah Jones
	uin	234262
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/03/2019 answer text <p>The Government does not collect this data and has made no estimate of the cost. There is no single method for the valuation of enfranchisement of leasehold houses or flats and the Government is aware of unfair practices, which have led to leaseholders paying substantial sums on the premium and costs associated with enfranchising.</p><p>This is why the Government has asked the Law Commission to review the enfranchisement process to make it simpler, easier, quicker and more cost effective. Its consultation, which included proposals for a unified valuation methodology, closed on 7 January 2019. The Law Commission will publish its final report later this year.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South Derbyshire answering member printed Mrs Heather Wheeler question first answered 22/03/2019 14:44:08 answering member 4053 label Biography information for Mrs Heather Wheeler
	tabling member	4631 label Biography information for Sarah Jones

1050384

	registered interest
	date	29/01/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Leasehold
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the timeframe is for the publication of the recommendations of the consultation entitled, Leasehold home ownership: buying your freehold or extending your lease, published by the Law Commission in September 2018.
	tabling member constituency	Garston and Halewood
	tabling member printed	Maria Eagle
	uin	213955
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/02/2019 answer text <p>The Law Commission's consultation entitled 'Leasehold home ownership: buying your freehold or extending your lease' closed on 7 January 2019. We are informed that the Commission has received numerous, and detailed, responses to the consultation which will require detailed analysis to inform the final report and recommendations. The expected date for the publication of the final report is Summer 2019. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government continue to discuss the timetable for the remainder of the project with the Law Commission.</p> answering member constituency South Derbyshire answering member printed Mrs Heather Wheeler question first answered 05/02/2019 13:21:26 answering member 4053 label Biography information for Mrs Heather Wheeler
	tabling member	483 label Biography information for Maria Eagle

1050385

	registered interest
	date	29/01/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Leasehold
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2018 to Question 174628 on Leasehold, what the timeframe is for bringing forward the legislative proposals to tackle unfair leasehold practices for existing leaseholders.
	tabling member constituency	Garston and Halewood
	tabling member printed	Maria Eagle
	uin	213956
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/02/2019 answer text <p>Following on from the 2017 consultation referred to in the answer of 9 October 2018, to Question UIN174628, the Department published a technical consultation on how to implement the Government’s reforms to the leasehold system in England on 15 October. This is available at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/implementing-reforms-to-the-leasehold-system" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/implementing-reforms-to-the-leasehold-system</a> . The consultation marked the next step in the Government’s commitment to tackle excessive and unjustifiable practices in the leasehold sector, making home ownership fairer for all. The consultation closed on 26 November, we will publish the Government response in due course and bring forward legislation when Parliamentary time allows.</p> answering member constituency South Derbyshire answering member printed Mrs Heather Wheeler question first answered 05/02/2019 13:24:57 answering member 4053 label Biography information for Mrs Heather Wheeler
	tabling member	483 label Biography information for Maria Eagle

1045470

	registered interest
	date	21/01/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Leasehold
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, on how many occasions the Government has met with (a) property development companies and (b) builders to discuss the leasehold law for existing leaseholders; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Garston and Halewood
	tabling member printed	Maria Eagle
	uin	210492
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/01/2019 answer text <p>Ministers have engaged with industry on several occasions to discuss issues facing existing leaseholders. On 5 November, Minister Wheeler met with the Home Builders Federation and raised the issue of consumer redress in the leasehold market. On 8 November, the Secretary of State held a round table with developers and investors, setting out his concerns regarding onerous ground rents and the lack of redress for existing leaseholders. The answer to question UIN189727 of 19 November 2018, details the attendees of the round table.</p><p>A full list of ministerial meetings up until 30 September 2018 is published at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dclg-ministerial-data" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dclg-ministerial-data</a> and is updated regularly.</p> answering member constituency South Derbyshire answering member printed Mrs Heather Wheeler question first answered 24/01/2019 16:41:27 answering member 4053 label Biography information for Mrs Heather Wheeler
	tabling member	483 label Biography information for Maria Eagle

1045472

	registered interest
	date	21/01/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Leasehold
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, on how many occasions (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have met with property development companies during the consultation entitled Tackling Unfair Practices in the Leasehold Market.
	tabling member constituency	Garston and Halewood
	tabling member printed	Maria Eagle
	uin	210494
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/01/2019 answer text <p>The Government's consultation 'Tackling unfair practices in the leasehold market' ran for eight weeks from 25 July to 19 September 2017, and the response was published on 21 December 2017.</p><p>During that period, the then Secretary of State met Long Harbour and the Home Builders Federation and had discussions on the use of open-ended ground rent arrangements on new build leasehold properties. In addition, the then Minister of State for Housing, met the Building Societies Association to have similar discussions.</p><p>The Government also ran a separate consultation, ‘Implementing reforms to the leasehold system’ during 15 October 2018 to 26 November 2018 and is still analysing the responses.</p><p>During this period, the Housing Minister met the Home Builders’ Federation on 5 November 2018 to discuss leasehold reforms. On 8 November 2018, the Secretary of State held a round table with developers and investors, setting out his concerns regarding onerous ground rents and the lack of redress for existing leaseholders. The answer to question UIN189727 of 19 November 2018 details the attendees of the round table.</p><p>A full list of ministerial meetings up until 30 September 2018 is published at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dclg-ministerial-data" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dclg-ministerial-data</a> and is updated regularly.</p> answering member constituency South Derbyshire answering member printed Mrs Heather Wheeler question first answered 29/01/2019 14:14:33 answering member 4053 label Biography information for Mrs Heather Wheeler
	tabling member	483 label Biography information for Maria Eagle

1037897

	registered interest
	date	08/01/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Leasehold
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps in addition to the current review of the leasehold system is his Department taking to provide a reasonable outcome for those leaseholders who bought properties with onerous lease terms.
	tabling member constituency	Bootle
	tabling member printed	Peter Dowd
	uin	206388
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/01/2019 answer text <p>The Secretary of State held a roundtable meeting in November in which he made clear to developers that greater support must be made available to existing leaseholders with onerous lease terms. Some developers have introduced schemes to assist individuals with onerous leases which is welcome, but these must be extended to include second hand buyers. We are keeping a close eye on progress and will consider taking further action if necessary.</p><p>We are also working with the Law Commission to support existing leaseholders. The Law Commission’s consultation on making buying a freehold or extending a lease easier, faster, fairer and cheaper, which closed on 7 January, included proposals for a prescribed formula for costs.</p> answering member constituency South Derbyshire answering member printed Mrs Heather Wheeler question first answered 11/01/2019 13:05:40 answering member 4053 label Biography information for Mrs Heather Wheeler
	tabling member	4397 label Biography information for Peter Dowd

1035121

	registered interest
	date	04/01/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Leasehold
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward proposals to protect existing homeowners who are prevented from selling their properties due to the amount of time left on the lease.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
	tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
	uin	205165
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/01/2019 answer text <p>We are working with the Law Commission to make it easier, faster, fairer and cheaper for leaseholders to buy their freehold or extend their lease. The Law Commission have recently consulted on possible measures, including introducing a prescribed formula that provides fair compensation to the landlord, whilst also helping leaseholders avoid incurring additional court costs. This consultation closed on 7 January 2019 and the Law Commission will be providing recommendations to Government later this year.</p> answering member constituency South Derbyshire answering member printed Mrs Heather Wheeler question first answered 09/01/2019 17:48:13 answering member 4053 label Biography information for Mrs Heather Wheeler
	tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1016423

	registered interest
	date	28/11/2018
	answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Leasehold
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent estimate his Department has made of the proportion of households living in a leasehold property.
	tabling member constituency	Cardiff Central
	tabling member printed	Jo Stevens
	uin	196862
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/12/2018 answer text <p>The Department does not produce an estimate of the proportion of <em>households</em> living in a leasehold property. The Department produces estimates of the number and proportion of leasehold <em>dwellings, </em>but not households, in England broken down by tenure. The latest release can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/estimating-the-number-of-leasehold-dwellings-in-england-2016-to-2017" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/estimating-the-number-of-leasehold-dwellings-in-england-2016-to-2017</a>.</p> answering member constituency South Derbyshire answering member printed Mrs Heather Wheeler question first answered 03/12/2018 16:57:54 answering member 4053 label Biography information for Mrs Heather Wheeler
	tabling member	4425 label Biography information for Jo Stevens

982456

	registered interest
	date	08/10/2018
	answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Leasehold
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will mane an assessment of the potential merits of abolishing leasehold as part of its review of leasehold property.
	tabling member constituency	Crewe and Nantwich
	tabling member printed	Laura Smith
	uin	176604
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/10/2018 answer text <p>Leasehold can be an effective tool for making multiple-ownership more straightforward, such as in blocks of flats with shared fabric and common areas. However, other than in exceptional circumstances new build houses should be sold on a freehold basis.</p><p>We believe that where a house can be built and sold as freehold then it should be. This means that house owners are not faced with charges for ground rents or a time limited lease where this is not necessary. That is why we announced last year that we would bring forward legislation as soon as Parliamentary time allows to prohibit new residential long leases from being granted on houses, whether new build or on existing freehold houses.</p><p>We are also working with the Law Commission to reinvigorate the use of commonhold as an alternative to leasehold to provide greater choice for home owners.</p> answering member constituency South Derbyshire answering member printed Mrs Heather Wheeler question first answered 16/10/2018 14:22:54 answering member 4053 label Biography information for Mrs Heather Wheeler
	tabling member	4648 label Biography information for Laura Smith