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You are here: Home / Latest News / Come on, Shelter! Don’t demand more housing without addressing leasehold’s many, many defects …

Come on, Shelter! Don’t demand more housing without addressing leasehold’s many, many defects …

December 18, 2015 //  by Sebastian O'Kelly

Capbell Robb, CEO of Shelter, demands more housing, but what sort? And if flats, do we want more unreformed leasehold? And why is Shelter silent over lease forfeiture, which results in homelessness?
Campbell Robb, CEO of Shelter, demands more housing, but what sort? And if flats, do we want more unreformed leasehold? And why is Shelter silent over lease forfeiture, which results in homelessness?

For some years, LKP has been pleading with the homeless and housing charity Shelter to do more to support the problems faced by leaseholders.

For example, the arbitrary loss of home and destitution faced by lease forfeiture should surely be a concern? Forfeiture means total loss of the asset, offering a cash windfall to landlords, and has no place in property disputes.

Absolutely NO ONE in the leasehold world defends this harsh regime, which is far more severe than the criminal courts (where mortgage fraudsters have scrupulously been returned their initial capital).

We reckon forfeiture occurs between 50 and 100 times a year, but it is threatened routinely in cash disputes by freeholders. No one has accurate figures and when Emma Reynolds MP, the former Labour shadow for DCLG, kindly asked on our behalf she was fobbed off last March.

When we try to interest Shelter in leasehold injustices, it replies that it needs to foster its resources to concentrate on other housing and homeless issues.

Yet as an organisation whole-heartedly backing a massive increase in housing, why isn’t Shelter concerned with the legal tenure involved?

Here is Shelter’s chief executive Campbell Robb saying what he would do if he were prime minister for a day. Building more houses is number one.

Almost all new homes in London are leasehold, and it will hugely increase as the UK becomes a nation of flat dwellers.

With an income of more than £50 million a year, Shelter is not a small organisation. Yet it seems unaware that leasehold homes and socially rented flats (many more of which will become right to buy homes in the near future) represent 25% of our housing stock.

Shelter seeks donations claiming to help millions of people a year with “expert housing advice”. If you have a problem with your house they seem to be able to help, but if you are in a leasehold flat you’re stuck with us.

We have urged Shelter to attend the all-party parliamentary roundtables LKP organises.CampaignForHousingInLaterLife1We think slightly more commitment is needed. So if you are involved with Shelter, or thinking of donating this Christmas, please highlight the importance of leasehold issues.

It is bad indeed that the only mention of Shelter on our website (April 2014) is the charity’s ill-considered involvement with the Campaign for Housing in Later Life – a stooge organisation funded by the House Builders’ Federation, with a website originally registered to the HQ of McCarthy and Stone. Its purpose was to urge easier planning.

Shelter quickly abandoned the campaign, and insisted on the removal of its logos. The campaign appears to have fizzled out.

Shelter’s policy contrasts with the useful engagement of AgeUK, which wisely declined to be involved with the Campaign for Housing in Later Life and which makes a very welcome contribution to the debate on retirement housing.

Related posts:

AgeUK echoes Campaign against Residential Leasehold Exploitation in demanding retirement housing reform Default ThumbnailLKP meets shadow housing minister Emma Reynolds AgeUK would not get involved, Shelter has quit, Peverel has been expelled and Esther Rantzen is asking questions … the fiasco of the Campaign for Housing in Later Life Shelter ‘dumps’ the Campaign for Housing in Later Life Default ThumbnailHousing Bill omits necessary ‘changes to leasehold and commonhold’

Category: Latest News, News, ParliamentTag: AgeUK, Shelter

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Michael Hollands

    December 19, 2015 at 8:54 am

    You will probably find that the people who govern Shelter hold similar views to those who govern, ARMA. ARHM AGE UK. The Government etc. etc.
    They hold the view that they do not want to rock the Leasehold boat, or have vested interests in keeping it as it is..
    Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation/LKP is the only organisation that wants proper regulation as it supports 100% those who suffer from this unfair system..

    • admin

      December 19, 2015 at 9:27 am

      We have high regard for AgeUK, or more particularly the work of Joe Oldman, who fully understands these issues.

      • Michael Hollands

        December 19, 2015 at 9:33 am

        I must say that I had very little success with them about two years ago when they scrapped their leasehold advice section.
        There seems to be a merry go round at the top managers of these organisations, similar to what you see with Management Companies and their trade organisations.. They take their same beliefs to each one they go to.

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