Things have been quiet on the LKP site for a few weeks because we have been a little busy behind the scenes.
LKP and the Campaign Against Retirement Leasehold Exploitation have been organising a briefing meeting on leasehold issues for both MP’s and Lord’s at the Houses of Parliament. The meeting is due to take place at the end of the month and will set out the issues faced in the leasehold sector and some of the potential ways forward. Representatives from various organisations will be attending to give MP’s a broad spectrum of views.
For many years MP’s have somehow been persuaded they need to do nothing in the leasehold sector. Grant Shapps spent two years convinced there is already “balance” even though he had no information on which to base his claims..
Please urge your MP go along on the 30th October at 3PM. MP’s will have received their invite and details of the event in the next few days. It may help if you could remind your MP why leasehold issues causes you a problem.
More news to follow as we get closer to the date of the meeting.
Related posts:
Progress report on our Houses of Parliament briefing
Full LKP / Campaign against Residential Leasehold Exploitation briefing notes on leasehold for MPs
Persimmon sold leasehold houses for £50,000 more than same-size freehold houses at Harrow View West
Labour to cap ‘legalised extortion’ of ground rents and end leasehold houses … Opposition and government now compete to reform leasehold
BBC R4 You and Yours reports MPs saying leasehold houses are a ‘national con’
Please remember to mention the plight of freehold property owners on Managed Estates who are not included under the current legislation.
This action needs some support with everyone who has been affected writing to their MPs, preferably before the meeting.
I have come accross too many residents of a block of flats that have become apathtic because their current manging agent has not listened to their complaints, I urge every resident within the leasehold sector experiencing issues to take action and write to their MP as suggested by LKP. This is positive step forward for the leasehold sector.
val, retirement shared/leasehold. A scam. I have written to 4 M.P.’s Rt. hon. Frank Field , Alison Mcgovern, Angela Eagle, Andrew Miller. They are M.P.’s on the Wirral and requested that they attend the meeting on the 30th at the Houses of Parliament. Please publish the names of the M.P.’s who attend. Many Thanks for all your hard work. Quite brilliant.
I would ask everybody to go on to every property forum or web site they know of and post a link to this web site and ask everyone they can via emails/posts etc to write to their MP’s now.
Dear Angela,
I would like to bring to your attention a briefing meeting that I believe you should attend on leasehold issues, for both MPs and Lords, to be held at the Houses of Parliament at 3pm on 30th October 2012.
The purpose of this is to bring to your attention the heinous fees that large corporate freeholders of retirement properties are charging leaseholders for sub-letting or selling their properties.
My Father owns the long leasehold of a retirement property (Goldsmere Court, Fentiman Way, Hornchurch, RM11 3XY). Since my Grandfather passed, my Father is now in the situation where he cannot sub-let the property because the freeholder is demanding a fee of a % of the value of the property before he can do this. Also, due to these “transfer fees” there is no appetite from purchasers and so he cannot sell it.
The OFT has been investigating this but progress is slow and needs your support. Please find related articles below. As our representative, please do attend this and offer your support. Many of the victims here are older, vulnerable people that are unable to stand and fight against this, please help.
Recent OFT ruling: http://www.oft.gov.uk/news-and-updates/press/2012/77-12
Campaigners against retirement home exploitation: http://www.betterretirementhousing.com/
Telegraph article: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/9525618/Retirement-home-group-backs-down-on-exit-fees.html
Thank you for your time. Kind regards,
Mark