
Self-regulation and codes of conduct have failed. Bring in commonhold and end the leasehold rip-offs.
APPG pays “public tribute” to the work of LKP in revealing these abuses
“LKP have helped hundreds of leaseholders keep their homes and continue to do so with very limited resources,” it says.
Leasehold Sector ‘cannot be trusted’

All Party Parliamentary Group on leasehold and commonhold reform has today published its uncompromising response to Communities Secretary Sajid Javid’s consultation.
The APPG, which has 110 members, demands an end to leasehold houses and urges the scrapping of new ground rents, which are for no service whatsoever.
The property industry’s pleas for giving self-regulation another chance with a “code of practice” is emphatically rejected.
The solution is to bring in commonhold and end the creation of leasehold tenancies, which cause such misery for so many who buy them.
It adds:
“There is a question not asked in the consultation:
“Why has it has taken so long for parliament, the civil-service advisers to ministers and government to stop the leasehold situation getting worse and to start dealing with the historic issues, which have been and are in plain sight?”
The APPG continues:
“The government has made clear that it accepts that we have a “broken housing market” and that there are “unfair practices” in the leasehold sector, which need to be addressed.
“Action is needed urgently, so that millions of leaseholders can be given greater protection and security and be treated more fairly within a sector which is presently open to abuse despite the systems that exist under current legislation.”
The APPG brushes aside one of the favoured arguments of developers and leasehold sector professionals that leasehold properties are cheaper than freehold ones:
“The APPG’s interim report (April 2017)8 found there seems little direct evidence that offering leasehold houses results in lower costs to home buyers.
“No developer has been willing, nor do we think able to provide specific evidence that ground rent income streams are needed to make a development viable.”
The APPG quotes Jolyon Harrison, CEO of Gleeson Homes, saying that there is no justification for leasehold houses.
It cites Bob Bessell, founder of retirement housebuilder Retirement Security Limited saying there is no justification for ground rents, either.
Faced with the question, in what circumstances do you consider that leasehold houses supported by Help to Buy Equity Loan could be justified?
The APPG replies: “None.”
“The APPG is aware that providers in the sector are likely to come forward with some form of self-regulating code of conduct. There is no evidence historically that self-regulation has been effective.
“There is evidence the sector may have already begun to move on from generating ground rent income streams. We are now seeing an increase in onerous covenants in freehold titles that seek to reflect many of the charges that had recently been imposed on leasehold houses.
“The fact that the sector has moved so rapidly to find new income streams should alert the government to the sector’s approach to self-regulation.
“Too many cannot be trusted,” says the APPG
Regarding those trapped in unsellable leasehold properties, the APPG says:
“The government might wish to consider whether what has taken place constitutes miss-selling of new build homes in England and Wales.”
Further points are made concerning the retirement housing sector not working as it should; that leasehold property managers, who are entrusted with hundreds of thousands of pounds, require regulation, and that the cost regime of the property tribunal is weighted against leaseholders.
Referring to charity freeholders, such as the National Trust, MPs argue that as they are exempt from leaseholders exercising their right of enfranchisement to buy the freeholds to their homes, they should not be subjecting their leaseholders to onerous “modern” ground rents.
The full APPG submission to Sajid Javid’s consultation is here: APPG response unfair practices consultation (fv)
It adds:
“There is a question not asked in the consultation:
“Why has it has taken so long for parliament, the civil-service advisers to ministers and government to stop the leasehold” Leasehold simply and absolutely and categorically should not exist WHICH PART OF THAT DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND?
Well done Sebastian and Martin. Magnificent work in getting parliament to acknowledge the need for reform and raise public awareness. You have succeeded where others have failed or been fobbed off.
What a pity Nigel Wilkins isn’t around to see this.
Someday there be blue plaques on your homes. Octavia Hill is commemorated in our block (she lived in a house on the site). and you will have done more if you’ve helped end this iniquitous racket.
Absolutely, I second that. But REFORM? Sebastian;s goal is ABOLTION of leasehold. Nothing other than abolition is satisfactory. Reform, half measures, qualifications, regulation? These are all saying “Go ahead guys, find the loopholes and exploit to you heart’s content.
There is only one solution to leasehold – ABOLTION..
You really mean ABOLITION of ground rent payment in long leases. .
and spelling with an I in the middle..
I mean ABOLITION of leasehold. By abolition I mean a ban on all future sales of leasehold houses and apartments – houses must be sold FREEHOLD, and apartments must be sold commonhold with only commonholders having an interest in the FREEHOLD.
If it is recognised now that leasehold is wrong, then it was wrong yesterday. Government legislation should (must) have a retrospective element abolishing leasehold – all leasehold residential properties turned into FREEHOLDS by statute.
Hear hear! I mean come on Government is not being asked to spilt the atom is it?
LEASEHOLD MUST BE ABOLISHED. ( Retrospectively)
STATUTORY REGULATION FIR MANAGING AGENTS- NOW! that mean WITHOUT DELAY!!
I ask the Rt Hon Sajid Javid MP – ARE YOU LISTENING TO US?
My note was written in a hurry and was less grammatical than it might have been, sorry. However, I used “reform” for all possible outcomes, including abolition of leasehold and its replacement with commonhold; regulation of managing agents; and, hopefully, of conflict of interest more generally as well as issues like concealed ownership, use of loopholes to cheat people of right of first refusal etc. All that is more than mere “abolition”.
Abolishing new leasehold should be straightforward. Commonhold needs to be made easier to adopt. In London it would be almost impossible in all but the smallest developments. 100% participation is required and in practice this is unobtainable due to the ownership profile of most large developments — they include many non-UK resident investor owners who don’t understand or care about leasehold issues and in slightest.
Reform of existing leaseholds will be harder, will need to be done in the teeth of pushback from vested interests, and we could yet see some farcical outcomes such as, for example, Vincent Tchenguiz or the Duke of Westminster appealing to the European Courts about the violation of their human rights. As it is, the taxpayer, via banks that are largely state owned, has loaned some leasehold predators like Tchenguiz the money which they have used to arrange their monetising operations. There is plenty of leverage there if the government chooses to use it. The use of taxpayer’s money to rape taxpayers and bribe politicians to enable it continue is not capitalism, it is corruption.
We have seen plenty of corruption, conflict of interest, and grotesque legal gamesmanship in and around leasehold. It all needs to be stamped out.
Take a simple matter such as the rather common phenomenon of managing agents helping themselves to reserve funds to pay the service charges of defaulting leaseholders (e.g. one they allowed to sell up without paying their obligations). In law this is theft. The reserves belong to the leaseholders.
I know of developments where it has happened. One, a large London block hired a barrister and sent an opinion to [a notorious managing agent which has changed its name], and saying “pay back the money or we’ll see you in court”. The money (the best of half a million pounds) was repaid. Others who can’t afford to a barrister are out of luck.
It’s common for claims arising from wrongdoing to be settled with accompanying non-disclosure agreements, which protect the reputation of the offender and permit it to carry on with the same illegal behaviour in circumstances where it may be less likely to be apprehended. This is all perfectly legal and, sadly, business as usual in leasehold today.
Much else that is legal but morally repugnant needs to be regulated out of existence. Consider for example the business of a large and notorious managing agent taking a commission on electricity and then doing its best to maximise energy consumption, at a time when the country is trying to reduce carbon emissions.
I could go on. Suffice it to say that “reform” not just “abolition” is needed, and not just ad hoc minimal reforms to address point issues but also some “moral engineering” to constrain rent-seeking, financialisation and other behaviour not in the public interest. I am not optimistic about this but am quite convinced there’s a deep connection between the present state of affairs and the fact that the UK has the most persistently unequal society in the EU.
Paul, Yes, as it happens I should have taken your use of the word “reform” to be all embracing, and to include abolition. Regulation of managing agents is an example of a reform you would like to see, bring it on.
It is my impression that you see no problem with legislation forcing all houses to be sold FREEHOLD, I will take that as a given. But you see problems with abolition of leasehold for apartment blocks – “100% participation is required and in practice this is unobtainable”, I don’t understand why it is unobtainable. Government legislates leasehold out of existence and makes commonhold the only means of buying an apartment, the buyer simply buys apartment commonhold, not leasehold – does not matter if he is non-UK resident investor.
“Reform (abolition) of existing leaseholds will be harder”. I am not a lawyer (God forbid) but I will try to address the effective confiscation of freeholds from current owners. If I am not mistaken (and I am not mistaken) when slavery was abolished it was all embracing, not only could merchants not trade in slaves, they had to free existing slaves. The legislation was necessarily retrospective. It has to be said that, grotesquely, the merchants were compensated for the loss of their human stock.
Slavery was wrong so slave trading and slaves themselves were legislated out of existence. If leasehold is recognised as being wrong and selling leasehold homes is abolished, then it follows (if the parallel holds with slavery) that existing leasehold properties need to be dealt with at the same time. My layman’s solution is inevitably and predictably simple, statutory conversion to freehold at no cost to the leaseholder and without compensation to the owner of the freehold – we are not in the eighteenth century now when slavers were compensated for their loss.
I would love government to have the desire and the boldness and the will to go the whole hog (as laid down above). If not, at the very least they must put a limit (Ireland a multiple of 12xannual ground rent?) on cost to leaseholder of buying freehold.
12x cost at current ground rent rate or an average over the leasehold term?. Would make a big difference to those on onerous terms sadly.
Jeffrey, Indeed. My brother’s FIXED ground rent is £7 per year, my FIXED ground rent is £35 per year. I am guilty of thinking too narrowly. Before the over the top obscene exploitation of recent years, houses (in my locality) were mostly on 999 years leases with low FIXED ground rents. Yet buying the freehold would cost, say, £5ooo/£6000 plus legal; fees and possible valuation fees. whatever, My last paragraph should now read “If not, then the very least they must put a limit on cost of buying freehold.”
Paul,
Coincidence or what? A close friend of mine runs the Octavia Hill Museum in Wisbech.
It ain’t over till the fat lady sings! Believe me I know the fat lady – and she ain’t squealing just yet. Soon Maybe but not yet…she will squeal like a stuck piggy before long…,,,, you know who you are????????????
At last, we are starting to see the BIG Domino effect of the Sleasehold players.
Without the tenacity and drive of Sebastian & Martin over the years, refusing to give up when bullied and threaten with legal action, for daring to challenge the ‘establishment’, where would we all be now?
Leasehold should be totally abolished and all existing leases for flats reverting to a peppercorn rent and extended to 999 years.
The owners of these properties should be allowed to set up their own Resident Management Companies where they want to, so that they can appoint their own choice of agents to manage their sites/properties.
Bad management companies are scared stiff of losing their little cash cows and will try and pursued Government Ministers everything is OK. Well, we know it isn’t and public opinion on this site, Hornet & NLC Facebook pages are proof of that.
If any Minister is in any doubt, get yourself on these sites and read Leaseholders horrendous stories.
This is spot on. It’s amazing that the new build leases are in focus but that is just the tip of the iceberg. My life is being made a misery by a leasehold on a flat. The whole system is broken and needs fixing now. Not in 5 years time – now. Please help! Thank you Sebastian and Martin – you are both Heroes.
Dear Karen
You are absolutely “Spot On” we are seeing a BIG dominoe effect!! . I am a very much a ‘ New kid on the LKP block” and boy do I have the utmost respect and admiration for the dream team that is Sebastian and Martin. They are TITANS of combatting the filthy sleaze in residential property. They are the scourge of the Spivs / property developers I ‘They bestride the quagmire that is ‘the Residential Property Industry ‘ bearing their swords of justice and shields of defence in order to protect beleaguered shafted leaseholders .
Hurrah for Sebastian and Martin.
Hip hip…..that’s quite enough ed!
I
Sebastian and Martin are incredible. What they are achieving is inspirational.
They have taught me so much.
The support and encouragement they give to leaseholders is outstanding.
They are the backbone of the National Leasehold Campaign and we will all be eternally greatful to them.
Please remind me Who is LEASE??? What is their purpose?
Why does my tax payers money pay them to sit by and let this happen??
For the sake of openess transparency I would like to read LEASEs response to the consultation.
The governments consultation may of ended but out fight carries on….
It’s far from over and we are determined to get justice for ALL.
It would be nice to read all the submissions to the Government Consultation.
LEASE, TW, PERSIMMONS,ARMA,ARHM,etc,etc.
Are they made available to the general public.
I have been tweeting DCLG to say “I hope all the submissions will be available to read to ensure openness and transparency “
How can we campaigners organise a petition and ensure it is signed by thousands nay hundreds of thousands, stating that now the ‘excitement ‘ of the consultation is over, we expect serious reform and that includes ABOLITION OF LEASEHOLD.
STATUTORY REGULATION OF MANAGING AGENTS
REMOVAL OF RESIDENTIAL LEASEHOLD FORFEITURE FROM THE STATUTE BOOK.
INTRODUCTION OF COMMONHOLD ON ALL LEASEHOLD FLATS ( retrospectively)
Hell, If uber can manage half a million signatures in 24hrs then why can’t we?
We must not allow the heat do cool and be fobbed off with half measures!The pressure must be relentless!
I say to the Rt Hon Sajid Javid MP” HEAR OUR VOICE” !!!
Any suggestions? I’m willing to get stuck in!!
Yes , Sebastian and Martin are incredible to achieve
(1) support from 110 Parliamentrians and friends
(2) pushing the APPG target up to calling for “ending of ground rent leasehold ” .,
But the APPG needs support from more than 326 Members of Parliament to legislate for a change in the VAT Tax Rules and re-classify :
(3) ” Sale of long lease with ground rent payment ” as “provision of rental accommodation” subject to 20% VAT on the first sale of lease” since there is no transfer of interest in the freehold ownership of the property.
(4) First Sale of Freehold Property, Commonhold property or 999 years Leasehold at peppercorn ground rent will be kept at 0% VAT.
The APPG could start an Early Day Motion ( for applying 20% VAT on sale of new leasehold requiring ground rent ) and ask for open support from 326 MPs.
Correction: The last line should read ” ___ask for open support from all 650 MPs”
Let me re-state the proposal to change VAT rate on new leasehold :
Leasehold with ground rent demand : Apply 20% VAT on sale of lease.
Leasehold with peppercorn ground rent ( Nil) : Apply 0% VAT on sale of lease
Why did I change from 326 MPs to 650 MPs ? My thinking is All MPs are voted into office by their constituency voters to change adverse laws and improve their lives.
If the VAT tax rate for new property is applied from 6th April 2018 :
Sold under Freehold title or Commonhold title = 0% VAT
Sold under Leasehold title ( nil ground rent ) = 0% VAT
Sold under Leasehold title ( plus ground rent ) = 20% VAT
No MP has any economic interest to object this charging these VAT rates .
I refer to the existing wording in section 4.2 of HMRC VAT Notice 708 : as shown below :
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vat-notice-708-buildings-and-construction/vat-notice-708-buildings-and-construction
Section 4.2
4.2 Am I granting a major interest in a building?
You are granting a major interest in a building when you sell, assign or surrender:
• the freehold
• in relation to England, Wales and Northern Ireland, a lease for a term certain exceeding 21 years
We want the above wording in Section 4.2 changing to :
• the freehold or Commonhold
• in relation to England, Wales and Northern Ireland, a lease for 999 years term with No ground rent payment required
The word Commonhold has been missing and may be reason why it is never offered
.
I have been musing- half a million people have signed a petition within 24hrs of ‘Uber’ having its lincence cancelled by TFL , demanding that the the decision is overturned.
I wonder if they were all leaseholders and if they were why didn’t they all fill in the online consultation?
Kim,
Off subject I know? But apparently that petition may not be all it’s cracked up to be? Rumour has it that the first some knew they had signed the petition was when they received an acknowledgement that they had signed it.
In my humble opinion Uber is the transport equivalent of the offshore freeholding companies. !
Thats as maybe Michael , and I am inclined to agree you regarding your opinion of ‘Uber’ but blimey look at the coverage it’s getting!
A little birdie has told me that there may well be an online Petition for the ABOLITION OF LEASEHOLD – STATUTORY REGULATION OF MANAGING AGENTS……….. no names no pack drill. There will be NO excuse for leaseholders not to sign it. How many leaseholders are there in England and Wales?
Funny thing is, from fake documents, fake medicals, incomplete criminal record checks, drivers with no insurance, horrendous accidents,non licensed drivers, refusal to take guide dogs, hacking into accounts, sexual assaults, the reasons for TFL to finally act over Uber are endless.
But guess what? The very same vested interests that have blighted the UK property interests are now campaigning to save Uber! Remember the connection with David Cameron and Gideon Osbourne? What is this love affair politicians and some members of the media have with offshore non tax paying companies?
Sadly it’s easier for people to get indignant about saving a few quid on dodgy uber taxi drivers rather than understanding the complexities of fleecehold.
https://www.gleeson-homes.co.uk/new-homes/west-yorkshire/calder-view
@GleesonHomes
Have managed very well to build and sell their properties Freehold and make a nice profit (As the Chairman stated at the last APPG meeting) .
Yet, Taylor Whimpey, Barrett’s, Bellway etc etc…. say they can’t make a profit unless they sell over priced, shoddily built leasehold houses?
They need to speak to Gleesons then and learn how to run a successful building company!
APPG keep up the excellent work, we have to keep fighting for our right to own our own properties !
Can Leasehold Knowledge Partnership organise a online partition for the abolition of leasehold or advise us if one is raised ?
Please let us have complete retrospective abolition of leasehold for apartments and houses.
We could have a boycott of buying leasehold properties to focus the issue on the industry. Boycotts have been effective in the past to create change.
If residents in Northern Ireland and Scotland are able to purchase their freehold without needing enfranchisement and at least half of the owners in their block, why do we in England ?
Yeah!! Hear my plea. Hopefully you do mean organise an online ‘petition’ and not “partition ” for the ABOLITION OF LEASEHOLD- STATUTORY REGULATION OF MANAGING AGENTS- REMOVAL OF LEASEHOLD FORFEITURE FROM THE STATUTE BOOK and COMMONHOLD FOR FLATS?
Let’s all pull together and arrange this petition!!
Yes I meant petition. and I agree with all of our points.
Sorry another typo, I agree with all of your points.
Kim, your enthusiasm for the cause is commendable and reflects badly on all those who could, and should, have responded to the consultation, but did not do so – 6000 representations is a big number but should have been at least in the hundreds of thousands. Yes a carefully worded online petition is a good idea and should achieve a good response, after all even the apathetic are capable of hitting a key on their keyboard.
I think your antecedents were Tolpuddle Martyrs, were involved in the Peasant’s Revolt, and survived the Peterloo Masacre. A great tradition of rebellion for a noble cause lives on in the blood which flows through your veins. Bravo that man I say.
The Tolpuddle Martyrs were deported to Australia and the
Leaders of the Levellers (who wanted equality for all) were shot in Burford Church courtyard.
Nowadays the policy so far is just to ignore us, we shall see if this Government Consultation signifies a change.
Not everyone knows about this consultation unless one subscribe to LKP. It is also a long survey/consultation to answer. I was a bit lost on some questions as I did not read through before answering the survey/consultation.
The survey/consultation concentrated mainly on leasehold on new houses and new flats in the pipeline. Leaseholders with leases less than 50 years urgently need Leasehold to be abolished ASAP before they have to pay a lot to their freeholders to extend their leases.
I am not on Facebook for security reasons nor tweet. Change.org is very easy to get signatures quickly. I could help to get some signatures. Get Which involved as well. Which does do campaigns on a variety of causes. I subscribe to their money publication.
Another suggestion is to do a short petition i.e. Replace Leasehold with Commonhold via LKP to get signatures. We can forward to friends, FRPA, etc. In my area we have SEBRA (residents assoc) Change.org is easy to forward and quick to get signatures as I have received petitions from them before.
I have asked my MP to join Appg. No response
Good idea Mary. Go with it.
Kim, Change.org is the place to go to start an online petition – https://www.change.org/petitions
David, I have contacted the founder of the NLC In relation to starting an online petition as I think for the petition to have any real ‘heft’ it should be constructed under the NLC banner!
I will await NLC response, but it could be a hit! If uber can achieve 600,0000 signatures in 48 hrs ??????
MARCH ON . JOIN BRAVELY. LET US DO IT PELL MELL.
Wakey Wakey everyone. NLC ‘s ‘ABOLISH LEASEHOLD ‘ petition is ‘Live’ on FACEBOOK!!! Let’s all sign and get every other leaseholder in the land to sign. Need at least 1 million signatures- surely there are more than a million leaseholders in England and Wales?
APATHY IS A CRIME!!
Kim, As I am not on FACEBOOK, and refuse to be on FACEBOOK, I will not be able to sign petition.
David if it is emailed to you by the NLC founder or other I believe you will be able to sign it that way. Is that agreeable? EVERY signature brings the campaigners goal ABOLITION OF LEASEHOLD etc one step nearer.
Please post your decision. I have taken on the ‘ Chief whips’ responsibility ( purely off my own bat)
There are NO EXCUSES FROM ANY LEASEHOLDER or HOUSE FREEHOLDERS who support this cause not to vote.
We need a nice round figure- 1 million. Will do- for starters!!
Thank you very for the petition link David.
Kim, It seems I joined Facebook many moons ago, I have just logged in and signed the petition.
S. Mc Donald ,
An Online ( facebook) Petition has been Introduced by the mighty NLC! Please sign and circulate amongst everyone you know! It went ‘ Live’ 14hrs ago. We are aiming for 1 million signatures.
This is our chance to get LEASEHOLD ABOLISHED and REGULATION FOR MANAGING AGENTS.
SILENCE IS A CRIME!!
Attaboy!! Please email / share on Facebook with as many people you know- even if you hate them…. I am sure every leaseholder has been affected in one or another or knows somebody who has been.
Katie’s NLC petition don’t need no Facebook login. Just go here…
https://www.change.org/p/theresa-may-mp-abolish-leasehold-strict-regulation-for-residential-managing-agents-be-introduced
…and there be it.
Thanks Paddy for the link. Great cartoon everyone, do have a look. This link probably ought to have a higher profile as many leaseholders such as myself do not like or trust Facebook or Policebook as Andrew Neill the political commentator likes to call it!
I called for abolition in my response to the survey but whether the government has ‘ears to hear’ and ‘eyes to see’ remains to be seen. The whole house of cards will comedown at some point though, even if it is too late to stop the likes of myself being ripped off by the fleecehold system. I will have a lot more to say once my own lease has been safely extended but congratulations to LKP/APPG and all you jolly band of leaseholders for taking the battle for justice, fairness and transparency to the heart of government. Keep up the good work.
‘A fleeced Leaseholder’ PURLEEEEZE email the petition to everyone you know- even if you hate them! I am sure EVERYONE has been or knows someone who has been affected by this issue. EMAIL EMAIL EMAIL.
We need at least one million Signatures. If UBER can garner 600,000 in 48 hrs what the hell can the 4 MILLION leaseholders in ENGLAND & WALES do??
C’mon everybody, Let’s ABOLISH LEASEHOLD AND REGULATE THESE THEIVING MANAGING AGENTS!
This is our opportunity. It is in your hands ( signatures)
I have signed the petition but there is no link for me to forward to friends etc to sign the petition.
I have forwarded a petition against which I have signed and forwarded to sok’s email.
Sebastian, can you forward to Paddy and Katie as an example.
A big Thank you to LKP for the work done.
Not convinced Facebook/Change.org is (are) the best medium(s) for this petition. Why not the official Government petition web site? 10,000 signatures before government will consider petition and 100,000 before debated in parliament, but more easily accessed and available –
https://petition.parliament.uk/
David, I think FACEBOOK In the modern age is great forum! ( maybe not for one fogeys like us) EVERYBODY who is young and vibrant is on Facebook !!
Instead of being neagative about the Forum why not just email all your mates and get them to sign it!!!
Lest we forget, There was no ‘ Petition’ to question 24 hrs ago. Email Email not moan moan.
David I say that wearing my caring ‘self appointed ‘ Chiefs Whips hat.
I’ve signed and admire/support Katie taking a lead. One out of four million stepping forward.
But David makes a valid point about numbers. An online petition is open to anyone – not sure if UK residency is required unlike gov version – but you need serious numbers to be noticed either way.
If the numbers no show a petition can backfire with politicians.
Been tweeting Labour members to sign given their slogans.
Me too Paddy. I have also emailed Jeremy Corbyn and asked if he will sign and join us in
solitary at the protest in Croydon on 30 th September.
I gather from your comment that there are 4 Million Leaseholders in England and Wales? Well we are aiming for 1million at least to sign!!! If 600,0000 can sign Uber petition in 48 hrs then leaseholders had better ‘ Straighten up and fly right’! It takes but a second to sign the petition so NO excuses allowed. I
I should hope that ALL 7000+ NLC members will have signed by Tomorrow. I have been knocking on neighbors doors ( I don’t even know them) asking them to sign ditto my lovely local butcher ./ dry cleaner et al .
We have got to get the numbers. It is within Leaseholders power.I am not correct spelling or geammer cos I be gotta send loads of emails!!!!!
Dear David,
I have just tried this website and signed up to one petition. It is a good website as it goes to the govt. It is also very easy, once you have the website and search the title of the petition. Can someone or LkP start the petition?Please give LKP the the petition title so that we search for the petition and sign.
Yes Mary, good website, easy to access and use, and goes direct to government – ticks all the boxes.. I will have a word with the Chief Whip (self appointed) Kim, she is the woman who gets things done.
Hello Mary and David
Chief whip here ( self appointed) A Government petition site tends to be a “Farce” that leads to ” False Expectations” “Almost half of the petitions are rejected” – so states the “Guardian Newspaper ‘. As chief Whip ( self appointed) I think it’s best we all support the NLC ‘s excellent petition which I hope will have exceeded 4,000 Signatures by friday the 29th of September.I do not think it wise to ‘dilute’ the support for this worthy cause. I am not sure if the petition will have a 3 or 6 month run but if we keep up the momentum we can easily achieve stratospheric figures!!!
Like others I will get tenants I know to sign. Definitely powerful if enough sign including one’s local MP. Corbyn would be a great signatory. So would a few more Tory MPs interested in social justice..
I am not techie and am slowly getting up to date with social media which is probably true for some of us oldies who don’t use facebook.. Our block communicates through Whats App.
I noticed that when you google ‘ Leasehold petition’ the first three entries are confusingly redundant.. Is someone techie able to get the live petition at the top of the search engine and get rid of the others..
It’s interesting that there are a few million leaseholders but so few are aware of any petitions, I confess that I was one of them. Clearly a massive opportunity that’s been missed.
Dear Joe,
Thank you and please get your fellow tenants , friends.enemies, family et al ( including any pets) to sign this petition. I am quite that they will have been affected or know someone who has been affected by this absolute travesty that is ‘LEASEHOLD = FLEECEHOLD =VENAL MANAGING AGENTS.
LETS END THIS SHOCKING INJUSTICE NOW.
Hello Kim,
Thank you for organising the excellent petition on change.org,
577 signatures already.
I have signed it.
Hello S McDonald
Thank you for your praise but it was the Indominatable Katie Kendrick of the ‘NATIONAL LEASEHOLD CAMPAIGN ‘ ( NLC) who organised the whole thing.
Thank you for singing and please email to your friends, family -and enemies ( if any) to sign this very very Important petition. We are aiming fir 1 million minimum signatures. This will be easily achievable if all beleaguered ,shafted leaseholders and their friends sign. SPREAD THE WORD!
Thank you.
Where are all the beleaguered Leasholders who have been sharing their horror stories of unscrupulous Freeholders and crooked managing agents cos they sure ain’t signing the online petition??? We have 700 signatures when it should be at least 10,000!!!
If they are not going to take the petition seriously why on earth do they think that the ‘Establishment ‘ should take leaseholders seriously. Come Leasholders , GET YOUR FINGERS OUT AND SIGN THE PETITION!!
APATHY IS A CRIME.
A great man once said:
“‘Every step toward the goal of Justice requires action”.
This applies to the campaign to ABOLISH LEASEHOLD & REGULATE MANAGING AGENTS.
The same great man said ” I have a dream” a well I have a dream too and here it is folks – SIGN the online PETITION. There are 4 Million leaseholders in England and Wales . WHERE ARE YOU.
The NLC members had better step up to the plate lickety split. ALL 7,500 + should have signed by now.
Here’s the thing NLC members and others – If YOU do not take the petition seriously then WHY do you expect developers , Politicians et al to take YOUR issues seriously.
WAKE UP AND SIGN THE PETITION.
I thank you in advance for your signatures..
The last woman I recall exhorting the masses with the words “Where are you?” was a drunken Delia Smith at half time at Carrow Road with her beloved Norwich City losing 2-0. Memorably Delia (God bless her) added “lets be ‘avin you”.
Kim, best leave the decanter in place until at least noon.
David you cheeky monkey!!
I never partake of the sauce unless high days and holidays or at least until 6 pm and a ‘dirty’ Martini is my tipple! However, I am slowly being seduced by a ‘ filthy’ Martini as recommended by a barman at sheekeys!
However, I am willing to be ‘Maligned’ as a drunken old harridan if it brings in the numbers… I and many others know that I am in fact a GORGGEEEOUS DIVA!!
Seriously, good letter to the Rt Hon Sajid Javid MP. May it be carved in stone.
I am sure you must agree that NLC members had better play their part and support their leader Katie Kendrick- non?
Keep circulating that petition David. NUMBERS NUMBERS NUMBERS, it’s all about the NUMBERS!
Got to say It is Oh! so typical. There is a live issue with urgent action required, and there are so many people affected by this issue (leasehold), and the response to this petition is beyond pathetic. Kim, it wasn’t mass popular protest that ended slavery, it was a few passionate activists who ended slavery.
David I hear you, but at the very least the NLC 75000+ members should have signed by now. They have been very slow nay practically non exsistent on the protests organised by those great gals of the NLC.
All they are being asked to do is sign a petition. Mama Mia, they don’t even have to get out of bed to do it. If they don’t get their bloody fingers out then I believe they are seriously letting the Campaign and its its founder down. SIMPLES.
Come NLC members get your iPads out and sign the bloody petition.
I thank you in advance for your signatures and I love you ALL!! ????
I meant 7,500!
My latest epistle to Sajid Javid –
There needs to be once and for ever legislation now on our leasehold laws. “Once and for ever” means leasehold laws must be abolished, houses must be sold FREEHOLD, apartments must be sold COMMONHOLD with only commonholders having an interest in the FREEHOLD. “Once and for ever” also means retrospective legislation gifting(?) FREEHOLD to all existing leaseholders. And finally “once and for ever” means full and proper and enforced regulation of managing agents.
There are over four million leasehold residential properties in England and Wales, none of the owners of these four million properties will ever own their homes, even after paying off their mortgages. These people will also be subject to, at best, fixed ground rents and permission fees should they wish to change their property in any way – new windows, conservatory, extend, whatever – or even to sub let. At the worst, it is very much worse, doubling ground rents, short leases which in no time at all make their properties unsaleable. All are faced with escalating cost to buy out freehold. I don’t even want to go into the specific issues apartment owners experience – yet worse than leasehold house owners
Go back a few hundred years and certain types of people found an outlet for their entrepreneurial skills in transporting Africans across the oceans to servitude in the Americas. And they transported these human beings in such foul conditions most did not survive to enjoy their servitude in foreign lands. Slavery was abolished, those who would have been slavers had to find opportunities elsewhere – equally lucrative and effortless – for their entrepreneurial skills. They found one such opportunity in leasehold Our government by its inaction enables these people, involved in leasehold, to function and make serfs of millions and allows wickedness to prevail. Once and for ever action is required now, from government, against those who are the modern day robber barons and slavers.
There is only one solution to leasehold, ABOLITION. Legislation is required to this effect, and with a retrospective element converting existing leasehold properties to FREEHOLD at no expense to existing leaseholders and with no compensation to those who presently own the freeholds. Consideration must also be given to miss-selling, and all of the professionals involved must be included in this investigation. Surveyors, valuers, solicitors, developers, builders, all were involved with freeholders in the conspiracy against ordinary house buyers.
I have put details of the petition on the “About Peverel” site, urging people to sign.
(At this moment my post will not have yet gone into print on their site, Also their site does not allow a “link” to be posted)
Bravo Trevor. I believe there is also a site calked ‘ About Solitaire ‘ or maybe they are one and the same??
From what I remember, Kim, The truth about solitaire ended up as About Peverel!
Well well Master Epstein, who’d have thunk it!! HA!
Ver true
I am sending out an appeal out the the ‘Big Beast subscribers to LKP who have been long time campaigners ( You know who you are)
I am assuming that you know of all,the sites where beleaguered, shafted, downright broken leaseholders have been sharing their absolute horror stories of intimidation, threats and ‘Ill judged’ conduct by Unscrupulous Freeholders, crooked Managing Agents, shady solicitors, bent surveyors etc etc. .
Please put details of the petition on those sites as Trevor has brilliantly done on ‘ about Peverel’.
I am sure the contributors will jump at the chance to be part of the movement
ABOLISH LEASEHOLD
STRICTLY REGULATE MANAGING
AGENTS
I am the Chief Whip for this campaign ( purely self appointed) and I am taking my position very seriously- I have watched ‘ House of cards’ you know.
Thank you in advance for your efforts and I Love you ALL!!!!!!! ????????
Numbers are rising, and loads of retweets by various folks asking people to sign Katie’s petition. Not on Facebook so assume the same there.
Need to be realistic. Recent consultation achieved over 6000 responses (hugely higher than 1998) after a widespread media profile in national press etc.
Personally I’m not convinced a petition was needed on top – Katie responded to suggestions – but if the numbers pile on it cannot harm. If not it may be used in evidence.
I bought leasehold in the nineties. I knew nowt of that consultation or even the 2002 Act, which I discovered by accident a few years later when I started to research.
In my experience, leaseholders pursue inward-looking lives and only look around when they face a direct personal threat. Spent years facing this apathy.
Once tried a survey – with loads of background info – trudging around my neighbours (this was before I got the idle sods RTM pretty much single-handedly- all they did was sign up). My survey at the time achieved 3 answers, and nobody volunteered to run an RTM company if we got one.
A few months later one of the flats who hadn’t answered my survey leaned on my doorbell demanding I call an urgent meeting – because I was the ‘organiser’, innit – as they had just discovered a personal issue.
That is how it goes in leasehold. No good lamenting the fact ‘ere because they wont be lurking. And unless they search twitter for the hashtag or follow somebody who tweets about the petition, they wont know there. It’s not in the press, obviously.
My guess is, if APPG hasn’t ask for outright abolition, there will be no chance of that option being considered. The proposed changes will be huge, but not help existing 4 million. Once the existing folks see their prices crash as new peppercorn leases emerge, that might stir them?
It would appear there will be a phase two reform. If phase one does not include abolition, I see no hope of phase two doing it.
My hope rests on reform of agents, lease extensions, sensible RTM, transparent billing and accounting, proper legal rights, reform of the biased courts, and ground rent caps. Oh yes, and just maybe a viable commonhold system to move to as of right that does not require 100% sign up with the freeholder’s agreement. What a farce that idea is.
Politicians need to learn who is being expropriated in this caper.
Paddy I couldn’t agree with your comment more apart from your opinion relating to the fact that a ” petition. Was not needed on top”.
My dear Mutter used to say ” A promise is a comfort to a fool”. Yes indeed, the consultation has taken place with 6,000 plus submissions It would be foolish to think that we can all sit back, relax and wait for the ‘Establishment ‘ to do our bidding- They Won’t. They will think the heat has gone out of the issue and we the ‘serfs’ will all be thinking about Christmas yadda yadda and take take our eyes off the ball that is the LEASEHOLD SCANDAL. This petition will reinforce our determination and resilience to end the travesty that is LEASEHOLD and UNREGULATED MANAGING AGENTS!
I have spoken to a whizz kid wannabe be film maker who works part time in my local butcher shop / chi chi Delicatessan and asked him to see if he can ‘App’ or make the petition accessible to millions. ( It all Greek to me) . Hopefully he can pull in some heavy numbers……
It is my belief that if ALL 7,500 plus NLC members have not signed the petition by Tomorrow then the are Letting their campaign down , Katie down but more Importantly- THEMSELVES DOWN! Come on NLC members put your signature where your gripe is.
I thank you in advance for your signatures and I love you ALL!!!!!!!????????
‘call an urgent meeting – because I was the ‘organiser’, innit’
Know the feeling Paddy!
Some no-win-no-fee legal insurance schemes might also help in my experience. I’m sure some ‘condo’ problems must occur in the USA, sometimes, but they have an army of willing Attorneys for most kinds of law. That’s because US justice allows ‘punitive’ damages with some certainty, as long as rules are followed and you have a good case. There’s nothing like a multi-million dollar law suit, to make people behave more honestly!
Lawyers here want the work, but need some pay. Housing Law on the whole does not pay. Costs rules work against us here as well.
David
Not sure my lease should be ‘abolished’ too readily. It’s complicated. Local authority obliged to maintain communal parts at its own expense. Mixed development. Some garages (in a block beneath 3 out of the 9 houses) sold to people who don’t live there. Most houses built around a small square, not affected by the structural and insurance worries of the few.
Sebastian and Martin know how hard I had to work, trying to reach agreement with some widely different lessee points of view, with ‘double’ freeholders after the LA sold our freehold at auction with telling us (until afterwards). I got lawyers’ estimates to buy the freehold – less than £1,000 per house all in – but after 18 months of previous meetings, not one lessee replied.
I then took the Council to court and got the sale reversed. (Wasn’t easy – had to do it myself). Showed the Council, from the archives, that the houses had only cost £36,000 to build; original leases sold for £44,000, and on top, the Council had £38,000 30-year low-interest loan from the Government! Plus we pay council tax like anyone else, but have no road or pavement other than the ‘private’ bits that the Council does not like repairing!
Usually new legislation is not retrospective, but it would worry me if the whole can of worms were opened up again.
It does look a good time to press for long overdue abolition – let’s hope so – but I hope also that lessees will be allowed to keep benefits that were paid for by and promised to their predecessors.
Well done as always, to Sebastian, Martin and others for all their efforts.
If anyone else has a problem with a local authority lease (past or present) they can contact me via the LKP to compare notes if they wish.
A trend with English leasehold for new estates including houses may be, I fear, a quite collusion with cash-strapped LAs who see the advantage of the home owners paying council tax AND directly for their local roads, lighting, parks etc.
I too got our estate an offer from the then freeholder at less than £1000 per flat. Neighbours turned their noses up. Leases all now less than 70 years and investor freeholder paid less than 2% of value at the time. Sitting on a fortune.
I too experience a dog’s dinner of obligations with some flats required to pay for others for services their block/flat does not incur or receive. I think leasehold is used as a sweep up for any dog’s dinner and the courts take a blind eye as the alternative is admitting the system is untenable from the bottom up.
I’m assuming if the rest of the world can abolish leasehold and give ownership to the unit holders, it cannot be rocket science. If LAs have adopted certain liabilities (usually roads and lighting) I see no obvious reason why commonhold would overturn this. Again, not rocket science for legislators I’d assume.
I fear the collusion for the status quo goes wider than freeholders and professional scavengers. As a great Guardian article recently laid out the problem…
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2017/jul/26/leasehold-england-wales-last-redoubt-colonial-relic
…leasehold was a peculiarly English colonial export. No surprise it remains strong at the centre of that old colonial system.
Yes Paddy.
Saw that article before, and Michael’s similar one.
The huge post-WW2 growth of residential leases has its roots in an old defect with English Land Law: positive freehold covenants are unenforceable for successors in title. (It was not to do with feudal tenure, abolished in England in 1660).
The ‘contract’ lease vehicle was borrowed because in theory it did the job, and because the law historically allows people to have free bargaining for any contract they like.
I don’t believe it was some conspiracy, originally, but certainly the present Law Society is irresponsible in not controlling lawyers better, and in not taking collective responsibility for failure to advise lease buyers properly, e.g. with the latest leasehold houses / ground rents scandal.
I complained to the SRA that two senior lawyers were defrauding us. Nothing happened of course. This is why I wonder about new regulations and who will enforce them. With crooks running the show, and ‘lack of resources’, we might yet win the battle but lose the war. I hope not.
I hope there will still be some arrangement in the future, somehow, to take people to court yourself if all else fails. I don’t trust regulators. They are always regulating ME, not the other guy, or themselves!