I understand that many in our community are facing challenges with leasehold issues. I’ve been actively representing their concerns, including meeting with local leaseholders and raising these matters with the relevant Ministers. For example, I have recently met with property management company FirstPort to discuss the key issues that have been raised with me – including service charges and communication and more – and to hear more about their plans.
This meeting also follows on from me writing to major developers, on our community’s behalf, asking them to play their part in ending exploitative ‘fleecehold’ arrangements and to work with councils to speed up adoption of new estates to improve accountability and end spiralling service charge costs. Please find that letter here, in case of interest.
More widely, I am glad that our Labour Government is committed to ending the outdated feudal freehold system by the end of this Parliament. Alongside the comprehensive Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024, we are taking significant steps to reform the leasehold system. These include tackling unregulated and unaffordable ground rents, removing the disproportionate and draconian threat of forfeiture, protecting leaseholders from abuse and poor service by unscrupulous managing agents, and enacting the remaining Law Commission recommendations on enfranchisement and the Right to Manage. If of interest, there’s more on this here.
I’m glad our new government is legislating to end this, and I will support this all the way in Parliament, but we also need developers to act. I fully support of our government’s actions to expand leaseholder powers and protections in the meantime.
I was also pleased to see the Housing Minister, Matt Pennycook, ask his team to request that FirstPort’s Managing Director comes to meet him personally, so that he could directly raise the concerns that you and others have. You can find Matt speaking on this here.
This is happening because you have made your voices head, I and other MPs have listened, and then raised these issues with the Minister. As your MP I will always act on and raise the issues that matter most to you and our community.
Our Labour Government introduced major reforms of the laws as part of the Leasehold Reform Bill in February 2026.
Over 5 million leaseholders across England and Wales will benefit from a major shake-up of the outdated leasehold system – with ground rents set to be capped at £250 a year, changing to a peppercorn cap after 40 years.
New leasehold flats will also be banned and homeownership strengthened thanks to the ground breaking legislation that will give people control over their homes and calls an end to the feudal leasehold system which dates to medieval times.
This move will ensure leaseholders keep more of their hard-earned cash, with many seeing savings of over £4,000 over the course of their lease, improving cost of living for millions. This will also unlock house sales for leaseholders whose lives have been put on hold because of ground rent terms that make their homes hard to sell.
I also want to highlight that I have a dedicated and experienced team working hard to ensure that members of our community receive the support they need. My caseworkers and I are fully committed to helping residents navigate leasehold issues and secure the answers – and where necessary, the action – they deserve.