Select committee invites leaseholders to share views on draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill

Leaseholders and other homeowners are being invited to share their experiences and views as part of parliamentary scrutiny of the draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill.

The Government published the draft Bill on 27 January 2026. It is now being examined by the Housing, Communities and Local Government (HCLG) Committee in a process known as pre-legislative scrutiny. This is intended to assess whether the proposed reforms will be effective and to identify any changes that could improve the Bill before it is formally introduced to Parliament.

As part of this inquiry, the Committee is encouraging leaseholders in England and Wales to take part in an online survey. The survey provides an opportunity for individuals who will be affected by the reforms to share their experiences and their views on the draft legislation. Responses will inform the Committee’s report to the government, and anonymised extracts from individual submissions may be quoted in that report. The survey will remain open until 31 March 2026.

In addition to the survey, organisations and individuals wishing to make more detailed submissions can provide formal written evidence. Formal written evidence, which is normally published and not anonymous, must be submitted by 11:59pm on 25 February 2026.

The Committee will also be holding a series of oral evidence sessions starting in March 2026. Later in the spring, it is expected to publish its findings, including conclusions and recommendations to the government.

The draft Bill covers a wide range of proposed reforms. This includes reforming the commonhold model, making it easier for existing leaseholders to convert to commonhold should they wish to do so, and banning the use of leasehold for most new flats.

The Bill also proposes capping ground rents at £250 a year, changing to a peppercorn after 40 years, and abolishing the threat of forfeiture. In place of forfeiture, the Bill will introduce a new lease enforcement scheme. In addition, the Bill will address enforcement powers that apply to estate rentcharges on freehold estates by repealing those powers as they relate to estate rentcharges.

As part of its work, the Committee is seeking views on whether the draft legislation meets the government’s stated policy objectives and how it could be improved.

In line with the usual practice of select committees, the Committee is not able to take up individual cases.

LEASE will be providing further information to help leaseholders understand the parliamentary process and the issues being considered.

Leaseholders who wish to take part can find full details of the inquiry, including the online survey, on the UK Parliament website.