The National Press suggests that the Treasury might not make major changes to leasehold laws. However, the (NLC) disagrees. They think lobbyists from the housing industry might have tricked the government.
The NLC says they are upset about this. They’ve been asking for changes to ground rents, which are fees leaseholders have to pay. They say these fees should be lowered to be fairer to leaseholders.
According to the NLC, lobbyists from the housing industry are trying to stop these changes. They also think the government is scared of being sued by big companies that own the land where leaseholders live. They say the government shouldn’t worry about this and should focus on helping leaseholders.
Housing Minister Michael Gove introduced a new law in November 2023 to make these changes. He said it would help millions of people who live in leasehold properties. But now, the government is hesitating because they’re worried it could hurt companies that invest in these properties.
One issue concerns ground rents. The government wants to cap leaseholders’ payments, but this could result in large losses for companies. Another problem is that changing the rules now might lead to legal issues.
Michael Gove has been pushing for these changes for a while. He wanted to abolish leasehold altogether in 2023, but that didn’t happen. Still, he’s been working on reforms to improve leaseholders’ lives.
These changes were supposed to be part of a big new law called the ‘Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill’. But when it was introduced, some important parts were missing. Now, it’s causing a lot of confusion and debate.