LEASEHOLD ENFRANCHISEMENT

Early day motion 984, tabled 22 March 2005 by Austin Mitchell (Labour). Signed by 30 members.

That this House urges the Government to deal urgently with the grievances of freeholders and to swing the balance, which is still overwhelmingly weighted to the landlords, back to leaseholders; and suggests that this can be best achieved by abolishing the leasehold system and replacing it by commonhold for flat owners, and regulated sale to others, by scrapping marriage value for leaseholders buying freeholds, abolishing forfeiture and the threat of forfeiture, by setting up a regulator to control rogue landlords and managing agents, and by extending the role of the Housing Ombudsman to allow him to replace leasehold valuation tribunals, to assume responsibility for setting a fair valuation for leaseholders to buy their freehold and to regulate service charges in common flats.

Signatures by party: Labour 23, Liberal Democrat 4, Conservative 1, Labour/Co-operative 1, Plaid Cymru 1.