Brady Solicitors welcome the proposals for leasehold reform and we provide a link to the House of Commons Briefing Paper setting out the key detail in the proposals.
Leasehold reform book-ended the festive break, with proposals published by government on 21 December 2017 followed by the House of Commons Briefing Paper on 5 January 2018.
Working closely with both residents’ management companies and managing agents, we are acutely aware of the need for change in the leasehold sector and welcome the proposed changes.
In 2016, we worked with LEASE to conduct a nationwide survey of over 1400 leaseholders to better understand the specific issues, from lack of awareness of how to change managing agent; dealing with poor service; unfair service charges; through to access to information and so forth.
The key findings of the Brady Solicitors leasehold survey are referenced in the Commons Briefing Paper, which also carries a quote from our MD Clare Brady calling for change:
The challenges of communal living emerge strongly throughout the nationwide survey. This is compounded where leaseholders – by their own admission – lack a clear understanding of their rights and obligations. This lack of leasehold knowledge, including understanding how to replace a poorly performing management company, underpins many of the reported problems. It also represents a vast opportunity for the UK’s leasehold sector, including its policy-makers, to bring about future change.
The proposals for leasehold reform are much overdue and should be viewed as a clear opportunity to drive positive change and professionalism across the sector.
Read the Briefing Paper in full: House of Commons Briefing Paper on Leasehold Reform, 5 January 2018
You can also visit the House of Commons library online here.