黑洞社区

The government is pushing ahead with long-awaited reforms to the leasehold system which will make it impossible for developers and freeholders to impose swingeing ground rents on leasehold residents.

Housing secretary Robert Jenrick said the new system, brought in as part of the government鈥檚 response to the  鈥�  in which buyers of new-build houses were asked to pay large ground rents which doubled every 10 years 鈥� will see leaseholders given the right to extend their leases at zero ground rent.

Currently, leasehold house owners can only extend their leases by a maximum of 50 years, and cannot alter the ground-rent terms.

The government will also abolish prohibitive costs such as 鈥渕arriage value鈥� and set standard calculation rates to ensure that costs are fair.

Jenrick (pictured) said the government will also push ahead with the promotion of a new 鈥渃ommonhold鈥� tenure of housing, used in many countries around the world, whereby leaseholders are jointly given full ownership of their building.

The housing ministry said it was establishing a 鈥渃ommonhold council鈥濃�� a partnership of leasehold groups, industry and government 鈥� designed to prepare homeowners and the market for the introduction of commonhold.

In order to specifically protect the elderly, the government said it will reduce ground rents to zero on retirement properties.

Jenrick鈥痵aid the current reality of being a leaseholder was far too bureaucratic, burdensome and expensive. 鈥淲e want to reinforce the security that home ownership brings by changing forever the way we own homes and end some of the worst practices faced by homeowners,鈥� he said.

鈥淭hese reforms provide fairness for 4.5 million leaseholders and chart a course to a new system altogether.鈥濃��鈥�

The proposals follow an in-depth review of the leasehold system by the Law Society, which recommended widespread reforms and the adoption of a 鈥渃ommonhold鈥� system.

This review happened in the wake of revelations that mainstream housebuilders including Taylor Wimpey, Bellway and Countryside, had started selling homes on a leasehold basis with onerous terms including some with large ground rents that doubled every 10 years, making the homes ultimately unsellable.

Taylor Wimpey was forced to write off 拢130m to compensate homebuyers while other listed developers have .

The scandal was 鈥� Taylor Wimpey, Barratt, Countryside and Persimmon 鈥� in September.

Campaigners for leasehold reform have welcomed the announcement but raised concerns that it will only apply to new-build properties.

Katie Kendrick, a nurse who became a leasehold campaigner after falling victim to the scandal, setting up the National Leasehold Campaign, told the BBC that the government鈥檚 proposals were the 鈥渢he start of the end for leasehold鈥�.

The government said laws to bring about the changes to leases and ground rents will be brought forward in the coming session of parliament, while the government plans to bring in its 鈥渃ommonhold鈥� reforms at a later date.