The Department for Communities and Local Government have today published a consultation document on the reform of the sale of leasehold houses and onerous ground rent terms for flats.

The consultation: Tackling unfair practices in the leasehold market sets out the options for reforming the sale of leasehold houses and onerous ground rents, which can be found here.

In essence, the consultation addresses the banning of the sale of new build leasehold houses and the reduction to peppercorn or similar of ground rents on new build flats.  

IRPM members who attended the IRPM Annual Seminar in June will have heard these issues being discussed by an expert panel. If you did not attend the Seminar, the video of the Great Debate session can be found in the members area of your IRPM web site.

Should you wish to respond to this consultation, and as the industry experts I urge you to do, please do these two things:

1.  Respond directly to the consultation via the DCLG web site; see link above

2.  Drop me a line with your views, to inform IRPM's formal response to DCLG.

Please send your response to info@irpm.org.uk, headed "DCLG Consultation".

Deadline

The deadline for your response to DCLG is 19th September. Your response to IRPM is therefore needed no later than 12th September.

Second consultation  

Separately from the above, DCLG are very shortly to publish a second consultation Consultation on recognising residents' associations and their powers to request information.

Both these consultations will result in legislation that will change how we work. It is very important that the expert opinions of IRPM property professionals are captured as part of this process.