Leasehold is an archaic form of residential tenure that has been abolished in most places around the world. It should be ended in this country.
I have for a long time campaigned for reforms to British law to end the injustice faced by leaseholders across the country. The injustices faced by leaseholders up and down this country are scandalous and have too often been simply overlooked by those best able to act.
The consequences of inaction have become painstakingly clear. People's livelihoods have been ruined, their homes taken away from them, and in some case where the removal of highly dangerous cladding has been delayed, their lives have been put at critical danger. All of this for the sake of profit.
The people who are the innocents in this are the leaseholders: often first-time buyers; often under the Government ‘help-to-buy’ scheme, and they have now been exposed to a scandal which is even worse, in my view, than the PPI scandal.
Families are facing enormous bills and risk losing their homes and livelihoods because of profit-hungry companies that put profit ahead of their tenants' lives.
Those who suffer need their voices heard.
We can be grateful to the organisations and hard-working volunteers across the country who have been involved in this campaign. One charity that stands out is the Leasehold Knowledge Partnership whose aim is to cast a spotlight on crooked landowners and managing agents. Martin Boyd and Sebastian O'Kelly of the Leasehold Knowledge Partnership have achieved a great amount.
We also applaud the work of the National Leasehold Campaign: Abolish Leasehold; Katie Kendrick, Joanne Darbyshire and Catherine Williams.
As Co-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Leasehold and Commonhold Reform, I am also grateful to Justin Madders MP and Daisy Cooper MP for their work to further this cross-party campaign in Parliament.
We are determined and together are making a significant difference, there is much to do on leasehold and commonhold reform.
