Leasehold Reform Bill is given Royal Assent - Barry Gardiner MP - LBC - 25/05/24

Reforms to leasehold and freehold in England and Wales have become law – but without a promised cap on ground rents.

The new law aims to make it cheaper and easier for more people to extend their lease, buy their freehold and take over management of their building.

But plans to remove ground rent for existing leaseholders or cap it at £250 have been dropped.

The Leasehold and Freehold Reform bill was one of the last pieces of legislation to make it through Parliament on Friday before it was shut down for 4 July’s general election.

Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove – who has announced he is standing down as an MP at the election – had originally wanted to cap ground rents at nominal level.

That was changed to a planned £250 cap - but the idea was dropped altogether as the legislation was rushed into law at the last minute on Friday evening before the dissolution of Parliament.

Barry Gardiner, the Labour MP for Brent North, presented "LEASEHOLD", a documentary exposing the injustices of our feudal housing system. He spoke to Matthew Wright on LBC on the morning after the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill was passed in to law.