Just as it was announced this morning that the Labour Party would vote for a December election, the annual general meeting of the APPG on leasehold and commonhold reform began. Jim Fitzpatrick, the APPG co-chair, was delayed in the chamber – although he attended the meeting with the Financial Conduct Authority on leasehold insurance commissions […]
‘Absolutely repugnant’ to make leaseholders pick up tab for deadly cladding, says Bob Blackman MP
… And veteran Clive Betts, chair of Communities Select Committee, leads laments to absence of leasehold in Queen’s speech By Harry Scoffin Bob Blackman MP raged at the self-serving nature of third-party freeholders in the Commons earlier this week. In a debate on the Queen’s Speech, the Harrow West MP demanded that “freeholders take responsibility” […]
LKP meets Competition and Markets Authority over leasehold house mis-selling
The Competition and Markets Authority was given LKP’s insight into the leasehold houses mis-selling scandal yesterday. The meeting was hosted by LKP patrons and APPG co-chairs MPs Sir Peter Bottomley and Jim Fitzpatrick and Justin Madders, the deputy APPG chair on leasehold reform. Mr Madders, a solicitor, has spoken out many times about the mis-selling […]
Mass email dump: leasehold home owners demand their freeholds after Persimmon caves into court action
More than 700 emails jammed the mailboxes of house builder chief executives this week as leasehold house owners demanded the freeholds to their homes. The protest came after Persimmon caved in to a trading standards action in Cardiff last month. Leasehold house buyers at the St Edeyrn’s Village development in Cardiff claimed Persimmon sales staff […]
If government co-operated we could fix the leasehold scandal, says Labour MP Justin Madders
Commons debate, July 11 Asking developers like Redrow to put things right is not enough, Justin Madders, the Labour MP for Ellesmere Port and Neston, told the Commons: it needs enforcement. And if government co-operated the leasehold scandal could be fixed. Mr Madders cited the example of a Redrow site in the constituency where houses […]
Number 10 chief of staff Gavin Barwell ‘delighted’ to be invited to present award to LKP
The Leasehold Knowledge Partnership was presented with a prestigious award by the All Party Parliamentary Group for leasehold and commonhold reform, which represents 171 MPs. Former housing minister Gavin Barwell, the current chief of staff of Number 10, was to have presented the award to Sebastian O’Kelly, LKP chief executive, and to Martin Boyd, the […]
Justin Madders MP endorses the National Leasehold Campaign trio for prestigious Women in Housing Awards
By Harry Scoffin The National Leasehold Campaign has received a boost with today’s news that Justin Madders MP, co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Leasehold and Commonhold Reform, has recommended that its three leaders be recognised at the upcoming Women in Housing Awards. Organised by Inside Housing, the ceremony will be held at Emirates […]
‘Fleecehold’ estate management contracts are the latest fiddle from taxpayer-subsidised house builders
Inflated “fleecehold” private estate management contracts came under scrutiny yesterday in the Commons yesterday, as exasperated MPs yet again waded-in to our tax-payer subsidised house builders. The debate was called by Helen Goodman, Labour MP for Bishop Aukland, (above) who described the proliferation of private estate income streams as “a scandal. There has clearly been mis-selling.” […]
Law Commission meets leaseholders in Manchester
But will its reforms help 100,000 trapped in unsellable homes? The Law Commissioner Professor Nicholas Hopkins and his five-strong team came to Manchester yesterday to address 120 leaseholders organised by LKP and the National Leasehold Campaign group. He was joined by Justin Madders, Labour MP for Ellesmere Port and Neston, an official from the DHCLG […]
Justin Madders Bill: 10x annual ground rent and the freehold is yours … Anyone got a problem with that?
Justin Madders, the Labour MP for Ellesmere Port and Neston, has unveiled his Bill to short-circuit the smokes and mirrors calculations of the leasehold sector and allow leaseholders to buy their freeholds for 10x annual ground rent. The Bill – in the extraordinary event that it is accepted – will render further Law Commission consultation […]
Law Commissioner wants to meet YOU: November 3
The Law Commissioner Professor Nick Hopkins is to address leaseholders on reforms to leasehold in Manchester on Saturday November 3, with an event in London to be announced shortly. Professor Hopkins will be discussing the Law Commission’s consultation paper setting out proposals that aim to make buying your freehold or extending your lease simpler, easier, […]
MPs turn out in force to welcome leaseholder demonstrators at Westminster
MPs turned out in force this morning to meet leasehold demonstrators organised by the National Leasehold Campaign, most of who arrived by coach from the North West. Sir Peter Bottomley and Jim Fitzpatrick, patrons of LKP and co-chairs of the APPG on leasehold reform, were on hand, as was Justin Madders, the deputy chair who […]
National housebuilders ‘sold an illusion’ of home ownership, says Justin Madders MP
MP urges housebuilder CEOs to be hauled before the Communities Select Committee Do any of the plc housebuilder CEOs ACTUALLY live in their leasehold products? The government is talking tough about sorting out the leasehold scandal – which has put the lives of at 100,000 homeowners on hold – but those who introduced these toxic […]
Gleeson CEO Jolyon Harrison responds over ‘fleasehold’ row and asks Justin Madders for an apology
LKP raised questions earlier today with Gleeson Homes over the “fleasehold” row sparked by Justin Madders’s speech in the Commons on Tuesday. That article can be read in full below: Gleeson won’t sell leasehold houses, but freehold ones come with ‘fleasehold’ covenants, says Justin Madders The response comes from Gleeson Homes CEO Jolyon Harrison. LKP […]
Gleeson won’t sell leasehold houses, but freehold ones come with ‘fleasehold’ covenants, says Justin Madders
Gleeson, the housebuilder that publicly disapproved of rip-off leasehold houses, was identified in the Commons on Tuesday for introducing a raft of “fleasehold” covenants into its freehold ones. Justin Madders, Labour MP for Ellesmere Port and Neston, who is deputy chair of the APPG on leasehold reform, spoke out about how “rancid the whole business” […]
LEASE chair Roger Southam launched complaint to Parliamentary Standards Commissioner against Sir Peter Bottomley and Jim Fitzpatrick (and LKP, naturally enough)
‘Why was I left out?’ asks Sir Ed Davey Roger Southam, the chairman of the Leasehold Advisory Service, issued a complaint to the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner about Sir Peter Bottomley and Jim Fitzpatrick He added LKP in the official complaint, in its role as secretariat of the All Party Parliamentary Group. “I am disappointed not […]
