What an end to 2017! The DCLG have shown a clear commitment to ensuring leasehold is fair and reasonable for all. The announcements on 21st December are a good start and a solid foundation on which to build in 2018 and beyond. Further LEASE has launched a new service instructed by the DCLG to advise and mediate on cladding issues on towers around the Country following the tragic events of Grenfell. This is a new dedicated service and the team are working hard to put the new team together.
2017 looks to have been a watershed year in leasehold and after campaigning for over a decade the direction of travel has to be welcomed. So what should we be looking for in 2018? Well I would hope that at last we can see regulation of managing agents. This would aid customer service and fairness for leaseholders. There needs to be great awareness of the rights and responsibilities of leasehold ownership and this should be highlighted at the earliest. This could be achieved with estate agents having to hand out the one page information sheet LEASE produced. This was designed to let people know about leasehold the moment they started looking for a home.
Finally we have to continue in the drive to make sure the whole market works fairly for all. This is the hardest challenge. Transparency demonstrates how a building is being managed and that service charges are being spent fairly. In return it needs commitment from the leaseholders to pay their service charge in timely manner.
As 2017 draws to a close we wish you all seasons’ greetings and look forward to 2018 and the changes ahead.
