MP for the Cities of London & Westminster, Nickie Aiken, is firm in her belief that the leasehold system needs wholesale reform. So, she welcomes the Leasehold (Reform) Bill which is making its way through Parliament.
The Bill aims to make service charges more transparent, ease financial concerns over a tribunal, increase the standard lease extension term for houses and flats to 990 years, remove marriage value, make it cheaper and easier for leaseholders to extend their lease or buy their freehold, and support leaseholders who want to manage their blocks. There is more it can do though, especially over enhancements to eligibility for the Right to Manage. That's why Nickie laid amendments to the Bill and made the case for them, with examples from local people across the Two Cities, in the Commons.
Nickie thanks everyone who responded to her leasehold survey, to everyone who has been in touch with her, and to the Two Cities Leasehold Reform Working Group. Her amendments were shaped by your views and concerns and set out to reduce the required Right to Manage participation threshold from 50% to 35%, increase the 25% non-residential limit to 50%, and expand eligibility to leaseholders with shared spaces in their building. Nickie also added an amendment regarding Section 24 court-appointed managers.
