Overview

Scope of this consultation

Topic of this consultation

The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 (“the 2024 Act”) introduces a range of reforms to improve home ownership for millions of leaseholders in England and Wales. It includes measures to improve the rights of existing leaseholders and help them better hold their landlords to account by increasing transparency of service charges and building insurance policies, as well as by tackling unjustified litigation costs. This will help leaseholders to better scrutinise and challenge unfair fees and charges as well as the reasonableness of the services they pay for. This consultation seeks views on how to implement these new requirements.  

This consultation also seeks views on new proposals for reform around the charges leaseholders pay and services they receive. These include the UK government commitments set out in the Written Ministerial Statement of 21 November 2024 to reform the major works regime and introduce mandatory qualifications for managing agents.

Throughout this consultation document, we will use the term “landlords” as shorthand for “freeholders, landlords of intermediate leases, Resident Management Companies, and Right to Manage Companies”, as these are the people who are able to demand a service charge. We also use the term “leaseholder” to refer to those owning houses or flats who are liable to pay a service charge (including those owning their homes on a shared ownership basis). The exception to this is where we refer directly to legislation where we use the term “tenant” which in this context also means a leaseholder as this is how legislation often refers to them (and not someone who rents a property). We will also refer to the “appropriate tribunal” or “relevant tribunal” for litigation costs in reference to the First-tier Tribunal in England or the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal in Wales.

Geographical scope

These proposals relate to England and Wales.

Responses to the questions in Part 1 of this document will be taken into account by the Secretary of State in decisions about implementing the relevant parts of the 2024 Act in England, and by the Welsh Ministers in decisions about implementing the relevant parts of the 2024 Act in Wales. The 2024 Act conferred the powers to implement the relevant parts of the 2024 Act on the Secretary of State, in relation to England, and the Welsh Ministers, in relation to Wales.

Responses to the questions about other potential future reforms (in Part 2 of this document) will be taken into account by the Secretary of State, in decisions about future legislative reforms for England, and the Welsh Ministers, in decisions about future legislative reforms for Wales. 

The consultation will inform the development of secondary legislation by both the UK and Welsh governments.

Mae’r ddogfen yma hefyd ar gael yn Gymraeg / This document is also available in Welsh 

Impact Assessment

An Impact Assessment was previously published during passage of the 2024 Act which covered the relevant overarching measures. All regulations brought forward as a result of this consultation will be subject to appropriate assessment.

The UK and Welsh governments are mindful of their responsibilities, including those under the Public Sector Equality Duty to have due regard to the potential impact of their proposals on people with protected characteristics, and their responsibilities to consider environmental principles in any proposals, including, in relation to England, as set out in the Environment Act 2021.

Consideration of these duties informed the passage of the 2024 Act, and we welcome evidence and views on the impact of this policy as part of this consultation. All regulations bought forward as a result of this consultation will be subject to appropriate assessment.

Basic information

Bodies responsible for the consultation

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Welsh Government.

Duration

This consultation will last for 12 weeks from 4 July to 26 Sepember 2025.

Enquiries

For any enquiries about the consultation please contact: protectingleaseholders@communities.gov.uk

How to respond

You may respond by completing an online survey on Citizen Space.

Alternatively, you can email your response to the questions in this consultation to protectingleaseholders@communities.gov.uk