News and Articles

Draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill

27/01/2026

Today sees the long-awaited draft commonhold bill published by the Government. The bill contains four parts to it. The first deals with commonhold conversions of existing leasehold buildings and management. The second contains a ban on the sale of leasehold flats going forward. The third contains a ground rent cap on all existing leases to £250.00, irrespective of the lease terms. The final part abolishes forfeiture, the draconian enforcement remedy for breaches of lease. Whilst forfeiture will be abolished, it is being replaced by a new lease enforcement scheme, which will still lead to properties being repossessed, but with the proceeds of sale being returned to the leaseholder. We will be running a series of webinars on this latest development. The draft bill and full press release can be found here.    


ALEP Spring Conference commonhold

26/01/2026

Mari is delighted to have been asked back by ALEP, the Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners, to speak at their Spring Conference in March. Mari will be speaking with James Fieldsend, barrister at Tanfield Chambers, and Professor Nick Hopkins, former Law Commissioner, on the topic of commonhold conversions. Booking information can be found here.


Significant commonhold and leasehold net zero updates

23/01/2026

The Net Zero Government team yesterday released various Net Zero updates. This includes a response to various consultations on the controversial communal heat networks legislation, the Energy Act 2023. It also included release of the “Warm Homes Plan”, which seeks to ban the sale of gas boilers from 2030 and sets out proposals for their replacement. Implementation of net zero heating and hot water in commonhold and leasehold buildings is going to be complex, and potentially expensive, and policy will need to be carefully considered to make this work. The Warm Homes Plan can be found here. The updates also include responses to proposals to increase the minimum EPC level in rental properties.


Public Policy Exchange - commonhold

19/01/2026

Mari spoke at the commonhold and leasehold reform update on Thursday last week, speaking to delegates about the commonhold reforms. The event was well attended, with thought-provoking questions from delegates about how commonhold will work in practice. For event details and details of future events, please see here.


Welcome to Syd and Emma!

13/01/2026

We are delighted to start the year with not one, but two, new team members! Syd and Emma joined the team in Wales today, working with Mari and Victoria in particular. Full profiles will follow shortly.  

ALEP commonhold training

06/01/2026

We are working with ALEP, the Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners, this Winter to bring a crash course on commonhold for property professionals. The course will run for four weeks, and look at the commonhold basics, including legal documents, financing the commonhold, managing the commonhold and disputes. Tickets can be booked here.


Happy New Year!

05/01/2026

We wish all our clients and contacts a Happy New Year! The office is now open again, and back to business as usual. It will no doubt be a busy year for the reforms, with multiple updates from the Government during the last working week of December.


Draft commonhold bill

19/12/2025

The draft commonhold bill was promised by the end of 2025, with many eagerly holding out for the bill. Immediately before Parliamentary recess commenced yesterday, the Government formally wrote to the HCLG Committee, to explain that the bill would not now be forthcoming this year, but would follow early in the new year. The HCLG Committee Chair has issued a response to that letter. The letter to the HCLG Committee and the Chair’s response can be found here.


Renters' Rights guidance

18/12/2025

Following Royal Assent in October, the Government has today published comprehensive guidance on implementation of the Act for landlords and letting agents. The bulk of these changes will mandatorily commence on 01 May 2026, so issuing the guidance early should help landlords and letting agents start preparing for the change. The full guidance can be found here.


Freehold estates consultations

18/12/2025

Today saw two consultations launched by the Government in respect of freehold estates. The first consultation sets out details of how the Government intends to implement Part 5 of Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024, which concerns improved management and better transparency for those living on an unadopted estate. The second consultation sets out proposals to tackle unadopted estates more widely, and which follows the Competition and Markets Authority’s investigation in 2024. The first consultation can be found here and the second consultation here.      


Building safety update

18/12/2025

The Government’s remediation acceleration plan, which sets out how the Government intends to ensure all buildings are remediated promptly, has been updated today with release of vital data on cladding removal costs. This follows an announcement earlier this year that there would likely be a Remediation Bill in 2026 to strengthen the remediation acceleration plan. The update can be found here. 


Leasehold broadband consultation

15/12/2025

The Government has today launched a consultation on giving leaseholders the right to demand broadband upgrades in their building. This consultation seeks to strengthen existing legislation that allows leaseholders to request broadband upgrades. The consultation will run until 16 February 2026, and full details can be found here.


Sussex office opening!

28/11/2025

We are thrilled to announce the opening of our Sussex office on 08 December 2025. We will be based at The Foundry, 3 Ellen Street, Hove, BN3 3LN, close to Hove station. The branch’s office hours will be 9 – 17.30 Monday to Friday and the Sussex Team can be contacted on 01273 839 555 or by email here.

University College London commonhold

24/11/2025

As the draft commonhold bill approaches, Mari is delighted to be joining Professor Nick Hopkins at University College London on 09 December 2025 for an academic debate on commonhold. Full details and tickets can be found here. 


December office closure

17/11/2025

Our offices will be closed from 12pm on Wednesday 24 December until 10am on Monday 05 January this year. We thank you for your patience.  


Renters' Rights Act 2025

06/11/2025

The Renters’ Rights Bill received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025 and became an Act. Critically for conveyancers, section 31 of the RRA, which addresses the “Housing Act ground rent trap”, will commence on 27 December 2025. Conveyancers will however still need to wait for lenders to update their ground rent policies following commencement. The new Decent Homes Standards for private landlords will also impact leasehold buildings, and we await further details on this in due course. Government guidance on the Act can be found here.   


CLE on tour in 2026!

27/10/2025

Mari will be going on tour in Spring 2026 for CPD provider, Professional Conferences. The residential conveyancing locations include Bristol, London, Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham, details of which can be found here. Mari will also be speaking at the landlord and tenant virtual conference on 24 February 2026, details of which can be found here.


Conference week!

10/10/2025

We are heading to London next week for conference week. Mari will be speaking for MBL to residential conveyancers on common leasehold conveyancing pitfalls on Tuesday. Mari will then be speaking at ALEP on Wednesday then The Property Institute on Thursday, both on the topic of commonhold. Various team members will be joining Mari in London. We look forward to seeing those of you who are attending!


Conveyancing reforms

06/10/2025

First off the reform-block this Autumn is conveyancing! Today, the Government has released a consultation on overhauling residential conveyancing, with a deadline of 29 December 2025 for responses. The consultation sets out key proposals for conveyancing reforms, including digitalisation, front-loading key conveyancing documents and better transparency. It also includes questions relating to the leasehold sales information pack, which has already been legislated on in the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 but not yet commenced. The full consultation can be found here.

Autumn reforms update

01/10/2025

It promises to be a busy Autumn on the reforms front this year. When piecing together the various commitments made by the Government, we are hoping to see a plethora of updates this Autumn. This includes the draft Leasehold and Commonhold Reform Bill, and key consultations on Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act, such as on enfranchisement valuation and freehold estates. The service charge consultation ended last week, with the buildings insurance commission consultation having ended earlier this year, leading to speculation about secondary legislation implementing both policy areas soon. There are also numerous net zero projects on the go, with both live consultations and consultations promised, all of which impact multi-unit buildings. The Renters Rights Bill is in the final stages too. Watch this space for regular updates!


This Is Money - RMCs

25/09/2025

This is Money has released a detailed article about resident management companies today, and whether or not existing members of the company should allow non-members into the company. This is an increasingly common question, with advantages and disadvantages. Working with ALEP, Mari contributed to the article, which can be read in full here.


Renters Rights update

05/09/2025

The Renters Rights Bill will be back in the Commons on Monday for consideration of the amendments made in the Lords. This may well be the final stage of the Bill, before it gets Royal Assent. The Act will then need to be commenced. The Bill details can be found here.


ALEP conference - commonhold conversion

01/09/2025

Mari is delighted to be speaking again at this year’s annual Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners Conference (ALEP) on 15 October 2025. Mari will be speaking alongside James Fieldsend, barrister from Tanfield Chambers, on commonhold conversions, with advice for lawyers and valuers on the new proposals. Booking details can be found here.


We are back!

26/08/2025

We are back after a very welcome week off for the Team. It promises to be a busy Autumn, with a long list of outstanding reform updates from the Government due, such as the consultation on enfranchisement valuation and freehold estates, implementation of LFRA and the eagerly awaited draft Leasehold and Commonhold Reform Bill. The deadline for the live service charge consultation is also fast-approaching on 26 September 2025. 


August office closure

08/08/2025

Our offices will be closed for a week commencing on Monday 18 August and re-opening on Tuesday 26 August. During the week of the office closure, emails and the telephone will not be monitored. In the case of an emergency, please email advice@commonlease.co.uk. Any emails sent to this address that are not urgent will be dealt with when the office re-opens. We thank you for your patience and understanding.