Leaseholders will have greater powers to take control of their buildings and more say over how their service charges are spent, the government said.
It says the move will also scrap the requirement for leaseholders to cover freeholder legal fees when making a Right to Manage claim – potentially saving them up to £3,000 for the most costly claims, and “reducing the incentive for landlords to obstruct the process”.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government will today table secondary legislation for the Right to Manage measures in the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024.
The department said yesterday these measures, are ahead of the schedule the government committed to last year, and if passed, will come into force on 3 March.
Housing and planning minister Matthew Pennycook said these reforms will, “improve the lives of leasehold homeowners across the country, allowing them to more easily and cheaply take control of the buildings they live in and clamp down on unreasonable or extortionate charges”.
Last month, Pennycook pushed through specific changes under the Leasehold Bill.
At the time, Pennycook said he had, “signed regulations to remove the two-year ownership rule for leaseholders of flats to extend their lease, and leaseholders of houses to extend their lease or buy their freehold.”
Action against leaseholds was mentioned in the government’s first King’s Speech in July.
Back in September, the government pledged to “act quickly” to bring into force the Leasehold Bill, which was rushed through in the final days of the previous parliament.
