London freeholder Israel Moskovitz has forfeited the London flat of a Canadian woman who declined to pay service charges and whose brother did not forward correspondence for two years. Chloe Shum, now 24, was indignant about a water leak in the property and had returned to Canada owing service charges. Meanwhile, her brother, a student […]
Jeremy Corbyn raises forfeiture case at prime minister’s questions
By Harry Scoffin Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn today waded into the leasehold scandal at prime minister’s questions. Mr Corbyn’s surprise intervention suggests that concerns around controversial leasehold contracts have finally entered the political mainstream. Referencing the comments Theresa May made about “burning injustices” on the steps of 10 Downing Street, Mr Corbyn asked whether the […]
Neighbour forfeits leaseholder’s £600,000 London maisonette for putting in a new bathroom
Time for government to end forfeiture windfalls to landlords This story has since been taken up by The Times journalist Andrew Ellson and reported on MailOnline, The Sun and The Mirror: Leaseholder’s £600k flat seized over ‘redecoration’ A leaseholder has had a £600,000 flat confiscated by his freeholder after “redecorating” it in what campaigners say […]
Two flats a year face forfeiture in constituency of housing minister Gavin Barwell
Back in 2006 the Law Commission recommended the total removal of leasehold forfeiture, but the government and its officials have done nothing about it. Instead, they argue that it is a very minor issue. So minor, in fact, that last year when the then shadow communities secretary Emma Reynolds asked in a parliamentary question how […]
Housing Bill omits necessary ‘changes to leasehold and commonhold’
… and forfeiture needs changing, too Housing minister Brandon Lewis is facing trouble over his Housing Bill with Sir Peter Bottomley today telling the commons: “The Bill totally misses out the necessary changes to leasehold and commonhold. “Some years ago, the House passed a Bill to allow commonhold to come in. It has defects and […]
How JB Leitch just cannot resist the F-word … for forfeiture
… the debt-chasing solicitors correspond with a buy-to-let investor who is barred from renting out his flat LKP is not going to spend too much time on well resourced buy to let investors getting into a jam that their lawyers should have prevented, but this one is curious. The purchasers bought a flat in Thornton […]
LKP election manifesto … as minister thanks LKP for official leasehold figure of 4.1 million private properties
As LKP issues its all-party election manifesto, the Housing Minister Brandon Lewis this week recognised our work in completely revising official figures concerning leasehold properties. “I understand that the Leasehold Knowledge Partnership has worked closely with my officials to enable the publication of more accurate data on the number of residential dwellings in England subject […]
Less ‘legal torture’ and more happiness in leasehold, says Sir Peter Bottomley
Sir Peter Bottomley made another strong speech over leasehold issues today at the Chartered Institute of Housing meeting in Crawley. It was titled “Less legal torture and more happiness in leasehold”. “All cases of forfeiture should be reported to the Master of the Rolls, who heads the civil courts,” said the MP, who along with […]
Woman has £165,000 flat forfeited over what began as £290 ground rent demand
A woman in east London had her £165,000 flat forfeited over what began as £290 owed in ground rents. The property had no mortgage, so the massive financial loss is entirely borne by her.
LKP wins press awards for two years running
March 17 2014: Sebastian O’Kelly, Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation chairman and director of the Leasehold Knowledge Partnership, last night won a press award for his campaigning journalism over leasehold for the second year running. O’Kelly won the “Scoop of the Year” category for his report into the scandalous forfeiture of the £800,000 flat belonging to […]
Sebastian O’Kelly wins second press award for leasehold reform
Sebastian O’Kelly, Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation chairman and director of the Leasehold Knowledge Partnership, last night won a press award for his coverage of leasehold for the second year running. O’Kelly won the “Scoop of the Year” category for his report into the scandalous forfeiture of the £800,000 flat belonging to Dennis Jackson, at […]
George Osborne’s former nanny faces £100,000 bills and loss of home
The issues in this case – and others concerning local authority leasehold – will be debated tomorrow morning on BBC Five Live with Eric Pickles, Communities Secretary, and Sebastian O’Kelly, of LKP, at 11.30am, Sunday January 12 A disastrous act of defiance in refusing to pay her share of a council’s major works scheme has […]
George Osborne’s former nanny faces £100,000 bill and homelessness after refusing to pay major works on her leasehold ex-council flat
The issues in this case – and others concerning local authority leasehold – will be debated tomorrow morning on BBC Five Live with Eric Pickles, Communities Secretary, and Sebastian O’Kelly, of LKP, at 11.30am, Sunday January 12 A disastrous act of defiance in refusing to pay her share of a council’s major works scheme […]
Sunday Times reports the forfeiture scandal of Dennis Jackson at Plantation Wharf
The case of Dennis Jackson, 74, who came within a hair’s breadth of losing his Battersea flat at Plantation Wharf in a forfeiture action earlier this year, featured in the Sunday Times on November 24. The case is still on-going as Jackson is trying to sell his flat, on the market for £800,000, to pay […]
Sir Peter Bottomley condemns criminal behaviour, price-fixing, cheating freeholders, exit fee fiddles, opportunist lawyers and feeble judicial intervention
… in a speech that ALL leaseholders have been waiting to hear Sir Peter Bottomley made the speech all leaseholder victims of the system were waiting for when he condemned the current practices in the flawed sector. Speaking at the annual meeting of the Federation of Private Residents’ Associations – which LKP urges all […]
Pickles to stop councils charging leasehold owners more than £10,000 for major block repairs. But will it help many?
DCLG Secretary Eric Pickles has stepped in to protect leasehold owners from staggering repair costs where local authorities are the freeholder. Full details here If central government money is being spent on improving local authority housing stock then leaseholders should not have to pay more than £10,000 … or, £15,000 in London. But it […]
