Over 5 million people now live in leasehold properties in the UK. Today, on Tuesday the 16th of January 2024, the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill begins its scrutiny stage in Parliament.
The Bill makes it easier for existing leaseholders to extend their lease or buy their freehold but does nothing for millions of leaseholders trapped in properties they cannot sell or afford. The new law fails to end the outdated feudal leasehold system which no longer exists in Scotland.
Barry Gardiner has campaigned to abolish leasehold for over 20 years and is on the Bill Committee that will examine the proposed legislation next week. To highlight his campaign, he has launched a new 40-minute documentary telling the stories of leaseholders trapped in homes they cannot sell or leave. It features residents across England and highlights the imbalance of power that keeps leaseholders’ prisoners in their own homes. The documntary will be released at the end of January.
Barry Gardiner, Labour MP for Brent North, said “The government’s bill is 133 pages of tinkering with a fundamentally unjust system. Leasehold needs abolishing, not updating. It’s a relic of a feudal system. Every other country has abolished it because it leaves people as tenants in their own homes. It reinforces the imbalance of power between freeholder and leaseholder. I’ve seen it lead to bankruptcy, mental health issues and even suicides. We need an end to leasehold.”
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