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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!
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
04/07/2025
The Government has today launched a ground-breaking consultation on service charge reforms for leaseholders. The consultation forms two parts. The first looks at detailed proposals for implementation of new leaseholder rights set out in the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024. The second looks at further possible reforms, including major works, managing agent reform, and further new leaseholder rights. The deadline for responding to the consultation is 26 September 2025, details of which can be found here.
04/07/2025
The consultation on service charges promises a significant overhaul of the service charge regime for leaseholders. We will be running a free webinar via News on the Block at 11am on Thursday 10 July to talk through the consultation and next steps. Details of that webinar can be found here. We will also be running a free webinar via the National Leasehold Campaign Group for leaseholders, details of which can be found on the NLC website.
02/07/2025
The Government has today launched an important consultation on the proposed new decent homes standards for private rented properties. The Renters Rights Bill, currently going through the legislative process, proposes to ensure that all private-rented sector properties are brought within the scope of existing Decent Homes Standards. Those standards will also be improved. The consultation sets out the proposals in detail. It also contains questions on the impact of the reforms on leasehold properties, where there are often lease constraints on carrying out works to flats. The deadline for responding to the consultation is 10 September 2025, details of which can be found here.
27/06/2025
We are hugely excited to have won both “Conveyancer of the Year” Award and “Solicitors Firm of the Year” Award at the Apartment Adviser Awards this year. The ceremony was hosted in Park Lane by News on the Block, who did a marvellous job of organising the event.
24/06/2025
As the reforms start to ramp up, we will be hosting a series of webinars in the upcoming months. This includes a dedicated updates session for leaseholders, a series for managing agents and personalised sessions for resident-owned or managed landlords. We will update this page soon with dates and booking information.
19/06/2025
The Government has confirmed that the penultimate stage, the Report Stage, in the House of Lords of the Renters Rights Bill will be heard on 01 July 2025. The Parliamentary summer recess commences on 24 July, so timings will be tight to finalise the Bill before the Houses rise for summer recess! The Bill can be tracked here.
18/06/2025
Mari was asked to speak at a conference dedicated to commonhold yesterday. Mari was invited to speak as a key note speaker, delivering a speech on some of the regulatory, governance and oversight issues with commonhold. The conference was very well attended, with many questions from the delegates. The conference details can be found here.
06/06/2025
We are absolutely thrilled to not only have been shortlisted, but then won “highly commended” in the Pro Bono Law Firm of the Year at the Legal News Wales Awards last night. Team Wales attended the glitzy ceremony in Cardiff, which was a very well attended event, with lawyers from all parts of Wales. The full article can be read here.
20/05/2025
Matt Lewis will be speaking today at the UK’s Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum, hosted in Leeds. The event will be attended by many industry professionals, where Matt will be speaking on “Modern block management in the face of accelerated change”. For more information and tickets, please see here.
15/05/2025
The Government has released some updated statistics on leasehold ownership in England. This includes data on freehold or leasehold tenure, demographic and economic characteristics of owner occupier leaseholders and freeholders, together with average annual ground rent and service charges for owner occupier leaseholders. The data can be found here.
29/04/2025
Additional webinars have now been made available by the government on building safety. A full range of webinars, for both the industry and consumers can be found here.
17/04/2025
We are delighted to welcome Emilie to the team! Emilie joins the team with a vast background in company incorporations and will join our busy team in Wales.
14/04/2025
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has today released an addendum to the LFRA Impact Assessment, setting out technical corrections. The Impact Assessment sets out the technical detail for the Government’s justifications for LFRA and can be found here.
02/04/2025
The Government has published a helpful new tool for resident management companies and commonhold associations to help them manage their obligations under the Building Safety Act 2022. The website also includes useful links to other websites where further information can also be found, such as on the Leasehold Advisory Service website. The link to this useful tool can be found here.
31/03/2025
Today saw the annual virtual enfranchisement conference hosted by MBL Seminars. Mari was invited to speak at the conference on some of the challenges facing leaseholders when buying the freehold or acquiring right to manage. The conference was very well attended, with other topics including building safety and the ongoing reforms.
20/03/2025
The Financial Times has published an article on the pitfalls of buying a flat, which we were asked to contribute towards. The article focused on some of the pitfalls and providers some advice for prospective buyers on what to look for. The full article can be found here.
04/03/2025
We are delighted to have been invited to today’s All Party Parliamentary Group (“APPG”) on Commonhold and Leasehold Reform. The Minister will be attending, together with various other notable speakers. The meeting fortuitously follows both the commencement of right to manage changes and the release of the Commonhold White Paper yesterday.
