I read your article about the National Leasehold Campaign and the problems associated with owning a leasehold property (‘The developers got greedy’: the women who took on the leasehold scandal – and won, 16 June). I fully understand the financial costs of leasehold, be it ground rent, management fees or extending a leasehold. However, I would like to point out that there is another problem with owning a leasehold flat.
The freehold to our blocks was purchased by developers, who announced that they would be building new flats on top of our homes. Despite appealing against this, leaseholders were powerless to stop the development. Since May 2025, we have had restricted daylight due to scaffolding that was erected six months before work commenced; trespass above the flats due to poorly secured access; water ingress into flats caused by intruders trying to steal copper; work carrying on into evenings above flats as well as on bank holidays; and work vehicles blocking access. I could list a whole lot more. The work has affected residents with noise, dust and disruption.
The local council has little power to deal with complaints. The local MP’s office has just forwarded on replies from the freeholders that do not address the issues raised. This is the reality of having a leasehold flat: you are basically a second-class citizen in the eyes of the freeholder, council and government.
Name and address supplied
Jessica Murray’s excellent article exposes the painful realities of our archaic leasehold system. But there is a financial loophole facing millions of flat owners that policymakers are ignoring. As a director of a right-to-manage company, I am living this nightmare right now. While the proposed draft commonhold and leasehold reform bill introduces welcome caps on ground rents, it fails to protect leaseholders’ service charges and reserve funds.
Under current regulations, if a managing agent’s client accounts are frozen, compromised or mismanaged, leaseholders are left exposed. Regulators, industry bodies and banks simply pass the buck. Residents are left without immediate access to their own capital to fund essentials such as building insurance or utility bills.
Statutory trusts look great on paper, but the real-world financial protections backing them are nonexistent. Hundreds of thousands of pounds of collective savings from a block can vanish or become trapped overnight, with absolutely no regulatory safety net.
The government needs to stop foot-dragging. Giving us transparency about how we are being ripped off is not enough. The only permanent solution is to mandate a transition to true commonhold. Only then will flat owners genuinely control their homes, buildings and funds.
Name and address supplied
Well done to these women for bringing about changes in the law. What has always surprised me about this scandal is that the role of solicitors isn’t scrutinised more. If my solicitor had let me sign a contract containing a doubling clause (the story of the rice on the chessboard shows how dangerous doubling is) without pointing it out to me, I would be taking them to court for professional negligence. Given that in many cases solicitors have been recommended by developers, they seem to have been acting with a conflict of interest.
Vicky Davies
Bristol
