Shady speculators in UK property assets including residential freeholds were raised on the BBC TV’s Victoria Derbyshire show yesterday. It can be viewed here at 1:44 Sebastian O’Kelly, of LKP, said in an interview: “We are told that residential freeholds are bought by pension funds and that it pays for your and my pensions. “Absolute […]
Victoria Derbyshire told ‘we must end cheating speculators in leasehold housing’
February 8, 2017 By
‘If I fail to offend anyone, I will do it next time,’ Bottomley tells appalled LEASE conference
February 6, 2017 By
Leasehold sector insiders were aghast at the address given by Sir Peter Bottomley on Wednesday at the Leasehold Advisory Service “annual conference”. The event was packed with surveyors, valuers, lawyers and property managing agents paying £350 a head to attend what has until now been the most important trade show of the sector. Earlier housing […]
Housing minister says LEASE must be on the side of leaseholders, and promises more money
February 6, 2017 By
The Leasehold Advisory Service will be funded so that it can unambiguously represent the interests of leaseholders without dependence commercial deals with the sector, the housing minister Gavin Barwell said yesterday. “This means information must be free in financial terms, but it must also be free from any bias; impartial; a service dedicated to leaseholders,” […]
Housing minister urges transparency over retirement exit fees
February 6, 2017 By
Gavin Barwell urged greater transparency over retirement exit fees as the Leasehold Advisory Service “annual conference” yesterday. “More than one in 12 people in the UK will be aged over 80 by 2039, according to the National Office for Statistics. “The UK’s population is set to rise by over 4 million in the next decade, […]
The day the Leasehold Advisory Service was returned to leaseholders
February 6, 2017 By
– Sector insiders paying £350 each at LEASE’s ‘annual conference’ are told by housing minister Gavin Barwell that leaseholders are the priority – It will be given the funds to do its job properly without pandering to the commercial interests in leasehold – Onerous ground rents wrong, says minister. But chartered surveyor valuers tell audience how to […]
FirstPort blamed over leak at Homemead House
January 6, 2017 By
FirstPort is being blamed for a burst water pipe in the communal lounge of Homemead House in Romsey. The Southern Daily Echo has taken up the story and the local MP Caroline Nokes has demanded that FirstPort “compensate for the residents affected as a matter of urgency”. The water burst flooded six ground floor flats […]
Labour to cap ‘legalised extortion’ of ground rents and end leasehold houses
December 3, 2016 By
… Opposition and government now compete to reform leasehold The four-year campaign of the Leasehold Knowledge Partnership to reform leasehold has taken a surge forward this week. Today Labour said that it will cap charges that leaseholders pay in ground rents, and set out a plan to end leasehold houses in new developments. Meanwhile, government […]
BBC One Show warnings over retirement housing’s ‘sting in the tail’
November 25, 2016 By
The BBC One Show on prime time telly featured retirement housing earlier this week (November 22). It can be viewed here at 2.09 minutes The presenters warned that retirement housing can come with a “financial sting in the tail that can hit families at the worst possible time”. Sebastian O’Kelly, of Campaign against retirement leasehold […]
Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation and AgeUK reject Law Commission draft on exit fees
November 14, 2016 By
Law Commission backs developers over huge exit fees, and dumps OFT qualms over ‘likely’ unfair contract terms What began as an exercise supposedly to help pensioners and their families facing exit fees in retirement properties has ended up with the Law Commission backing the charges. The Law Commissioner Stephen Lewis met Campaign against retirement leasehold […]
Man, 90, dies in fire at Homepine House
November 13, 2016 By
A 90-year-old resident of Homepine House died in a fire at Homepine House, in Folkestone, on Saturday night. Emergency services were called after a fire broke out on the fifth floor in the bedroom of the resident, who has not been named. The website Kent Online reported the fire here and quoted police saying: “A […]
Disgraceful leasehold houses reported in The Guardian today
October 29, 2016 By
– Urgent issue for MPs of parliamentary group on leasehold next month – Onerous lease terms in taxpayer-aided Help To Buy scheme – Ground rents doubling every 10 years from plc housebuilder The disgraceful and increasingly widespread scandal of plc housebuilders selling leasehold houses is reported in The Guardian today. It can be read here The […]
Pauline Jones brings right to manage to retirement sites in the North West
October 28, 2016 By
Macclesfield-based managing agent Pauline Jones today has taken another retirement site right to manage: Warburton Court, in Uppermill, in Oldham, Greater Manchester. The RTM was won on the third attempt, and the entire application was handled in-house. Two earlier efforts, where solicitors were employed, hit problems and were declined by the freeholder, part of the […]
