Both Eric Pickles and Housing Minister Brandon Lewis gave a final “vote for us” message to leaseholders earlier this week with a resume of their achievements. In truth, they add up to very little and the only real reason not to vote against the government is because of almost no sign of life on leasehold […]
Lord Ahmad rejects easier right to manage – contradicting the Budget statement on the same day
March 20, 2015 By
Recommendations by the Competition and Markets Authority to make right to manage applications less problematic appear to have been rejected by the government. The rebuff came the same day of the Budget speech (March 18) that said the government “will take forward CMA recommendations, and other actions agreed with the CMA, to improve the market […]
We must stop freeholders and their managing agents ‘abusing’ leaseholders, says Bottomley in Budget debate
March 19, 2015 By
Sir Peter Bottomley intervened in the Budget debate yesterday calling for adequate resources to protect leaseholders from predatory freeholders and the managing agents that they employ. He also repeated his call for Parliament to bring in “commonhold properly” and stop perpetuating the flawed leasehold system.
Re-energised LEASE annual conference 2015
February 10, 2015 By
A re-energised and confident Leasehold Advisory Service held its LEASE annual conference 2015 in central London last Wednesday. It was a gathering of some of the brightest – perhaps most socially engaged – of the players in the professional leasehold world: lawyers, surveyors, property tribunal judges, property managers. For the third time – and it […]
Packed Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation / LKP meeting at Westminster for leasehold reform
February 3, 2015 By
Seventy key figures in the leasehold sector – including some battle-scarred leaseholders – attended a packed Westminster on Thursday January 29 to hear how leasehold could be reformed. The meeting was hosted by MPs Sir Peter Bottomley and Jim Fitzpatrick, and chaired by Martin Boyd, of LKP / Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation. It included presentations […]
CMA: easier right to manage, re-tendering property management when residents choose, changes to major works rules … but no statutory regulation of block managers
December 2, 2014 By
… And CMA may re-examine sector if no improvements Below is the press release of the Competition and Markets Authority, whose report into property management was released today at 11am. LKP / Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation will be providing a full analysis later. Jim Fitzpatrick, LKP patron and Labour MP for Poplar and Limehouse […]
AgeUK: Retirement leasehold IS NOT WORKING and needs urgent reform
September 24, 2014 By
– Self-regulation (by ARHM, ARMA, RICS) has failed – Leasehold tenure itself disempowers residents and makes them vulnerable – Commonhold should be explored – Right to manage needs to be made easier for the elderly – LEASE’s ‘problematic’ role serving all sides in leasehold – CMA’s skimpy Ipsos MORI poll ‘should not be used as the basis […]
Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation submission to CMA leasehold inquiry
September 18, 2014 By
Why did the CMA study take place? The CMA study into residential management services partly originated in the public criticism expressed over the Office of Fair Trading investigation into the Peverel / Cirrus collusive tendering scandal. Owing to the prime minister’s response to a direct appeal by Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation, this resulted in […]
Skimpy opinion poll used in CMA study of leasehold
September 16, 2014 By
– Only 131 retirement leaseholders quizzed – 17 leaseholders ONLY discussed Property Tribunal – MORI has to correct criticism of LKP leasehold figures (which are accepted by DCLG) – BUT poll does confirm that there is more contentment when leaseholder manage their sites in an RTM or RMC compared with those that are freeholder-controlled Alarm […]
AgeUK echoes Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation’s concerns over retirement housing
September 3, 2014 By
The Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation agenda for reform of retirement housing has been given a ringing endorsement by a report published today by AgeUK. The report, Housing in Later Life, arrives just as the Competition and Markets Authority appears to be manoeuvring to downplay concerns in retirement in its leasehold sector inquiry.
Beyond belief: price-fixing cheat Glyn Jackson is – AGAIN! – back at Peverel sites
August 21, 2014 By
Eight months after the Office of Fair Trading revealed the Cirrus collusive tendering scandal, scamming contractor Glyn Jackson is again working on retirement sites managed by Peverel. Glyn Jackson, whose company did not pay an OFT fine of £35,700 after going into liquidation, is this week installing similar electronic systems with a new company at the Adelphi […]
Competition and Markets Authority issues update on leasehold study
August 1, 2014 By
… But it wants further feedback, so let them have it! … Oh, and you are all happier than those in non-retirement flats! The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has today issued an update on its market study (see below) into the provision of residential property management services in England and Wales. LKP / Campaign […]
