King’s Speech confirms leasehold reform and remediation Bills

The government has confirmed plans to bring forward new leasehold and building safety legislation as part of the King’s Speech delivered on 13 May 2026.

The programme includes a Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill and a Remediation Bill, both of which could have significant implications for leaseholders and residents living in affected buildings.

The King’s Speech states that the government will introduce legislation to reform the leasehold system, including the capping of ground rents, and to speed up remediation for people living in homes with unsafe cladding.

The Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill follows the publication of the government’s draft Bill earlier this year.

The Bill is intended to continue reforms to the leasehold system and support a move towards commonhold as the default form of ownership for new flats.

Measures expected to be included in the Bill include:

• a £250 cap on existing ground rents, reducing to a peppercorn (zero) after 40 years
• ending forfeiture for long residential leases and replacing it with a new enforcement process
• making it easier for existing leaseholders to convert buildings to commonhold
• banning the use of leasehold for most new flats in future
• a new right for leaseholders in flats to request improvements, such as a gigabit-capable broadband connection

Commonhold is a form of ownership where flat owners own their property outright and collectively manage the building through a commonhold association. It is intended to give flat owners more control over how their building is used, managed and financed.

LEASE Chair Martin Boyd has written in more detail about what the move to commonhold could mean for leaseholders.

The government has said the Bill will now be introduced to Parliament, where MPs will debate and vote on the proposals before any measures can become law.

The government has also indicated that:

• the £250 ground rent cap is expected in 2028
• the new commonhold model is expected to be available in 2029
• forfeiture reforms are intended to take effect as soon as possible after Royal Assent
• changes to make it cheaper and easier to buy a freehold or extend a lease will be switched on after Royal Assent

The King’s Speech also confirmed that the government will introduce a Remediation Bill aimed at speeding up remediation for people living in homes with unsafe cladding.

The Bill is intended to support faster progress on building safety remediation and strengthen the framework for making affected buildings safe.

Measures expected to be included in the Bill include:

• making construction product manufacturers pay towards fixing problems they caused
• stronger powers for regulators to compel action where remediation is being delayed
• a new legal duty to remediate, requiring those responsible for building safety, such as freeholders, to identify, assess and fix affected buildings without delay
• sanctions, including criminal prosecution in the most serious cases
• a nationally consistent approach to external wall assessments
• an 11 to 18 metre building register to identify remaining medium-rise buildings requiring remediation
• a remediation backstop, allowing a third party, such as Homes England, to step in where the responsible party does not act
• measures to address gaps in previous legislation where ownership is absent, unclear or negligent

The government has said that 4,310 buildings of 11 metres and above in England have been identified with unsafe cladding, with remediation completed on 35% of those buildings. It has also said regulators have had to take enforcement action at more than 800 buildings with suspected unsafe cladding.

Further details of both Bills are expected to be published when the legislation is formally introduced to Parliament.

LEASE will continue to provide independent advice and information for leaseholders as the legislation progresses.