Leasehold campaigners ‘deeply disappointed’ by govt failure to act on reform

The National Leasehold Campaign (NLC) said it is “deeply disappointed” that the government has failed to publish the draft Leasehold and Commonhold Bill prior to Christmas. 

Leaseholders face yet another Christmas in limbo, the campaigners said, left in the dark and “facing uncertainty that is both crippling and disheartening.”

Linz Darlington, managing director of lease extension specialists Homehold, has also criticised the delays, pointing out the government has broken two further manifesto commitments regarding leasehold reform.

“Despite pledging to ‘bring the feudal leasehold system to an end’, a promise that helped secure them their landslide election victory, the government admitted it will neither publish the long-awaited Leasehold and Commonhold Bill this year, nor launch a promised consultation on lease extension valuation rates,” Darlington said.

“With progress stalling, frustration is growing not only among leaseholders and campaigners, but increasingly within Labour’s own ranks. As recently as November the government promised that a draft Leasehold and Commonhold Bill would be published by the end of this calendar year. However on 18 December the government confirmed it they would not meet its commitment, citing ‘unforeseen delays’.”

The NLC and its founders Katie Kendrick OBE, Cath Williams OBE and Jo Darbyshire OBE said the delay will leave leaseholders feeling “abandoned, angry and frustrated.”