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Leaseholders to get cheaper bills within months in crackdown on service charges
Leaseholders will get clearer bills and new rights to challenge unfair charges, with landlords needing approval to pass on legal costs.
- The Government announced new powers yesterday for leaseholders to challenge service charges and restrict freeholders from passing excessive legal costs to residents.
- Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook described the leasehold system as 'feudal,' citing long-standing complaints about opaque and expensive service charges that strain homeowners financially.
- Under new regulations, leaseholders can demand building cost information going back up to six years, while landlords must obtain tribunal approval before passing legal fees to residents.
- Pennycook insisted Labour remains committed to ending leasehold homeownership, calling the forthcoming Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill 'the most ambitious overhaul of land and property law in a generation.'
- From April 1, 2027, homeowners will receive expanded powers to audit service charges, while the Government moves to make commonhold the default structure for new flats.
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16 Articles
Millions of Leaseholders in the UK Gain Stronger Rights to Challenge Unfair Service Charges
Independent Journalism and Public Interest Reporting. More than three million leaseholders in UK are set to receive stronger protections against unfair service charges, with new rules giving homeowners greater access to financial information and protection from landlords’ legal costs when challenging disputed charges. The UK government has announced a package of reforms designed to make service charges more transparent and give [...] This articl…
Coverage Details
Total News Sources16
Leaning Left1Leaning Right2Center3Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Center
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources are Center
50% Center
L 17%
C 50%
R 33%
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