Go further on regulating leasehold managing agents, Rayner urges
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Ex-housing secretary praises the government's draft bill but calls for more action on service charges.
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Go further on regulating leasehold managing agents, Rayner urges 11 minutes ago Share Save Becky Morton Political reporter Share Save Former Housing Secretary Angela Rayner has urged the government to go further on regulating managing agents as part of its reforms of the leasehold system in England and Wales. Speaking to MPs on the Commons Housing Committee she praised the government's draft legislation as striking "the right balance" between standing up to "vested interests" and pushing through changes quickly. But the ex-deputy prime minister also called on ministers to take forward proposals to introduce an independent regulator and enact measures to improve the transparency of service charges. The government's draft leasehold bill is currently being scrutinised by the committee before making its way through Parliament. It includes capping ground rents - an annual fee leaseholders must pay to their freeholder - at £250 a year. The legislation would also ban the sale of new leasehold flats and give homeowners greater control over how buildings are managed. However, it does not cover specific measures to regulate managing agents or tackle spiralling service charges. Many leaseholders complain of unjustified service charges, which they have no control over and must pay for the management and maintenance of their building. The government has said it is committed to regulating managing agents and is considering proposals to introduce mandatory professional qualifications. It has also consulted on measures to prevent managing agents from imposing opaque and excessive charges related to building insurance, often in the form of commissions. There are around five million leasehold homes in England and Wales, where people own the right to occupy a property via a lease for a limited number of years from a freeholder. What is ground rent and how are leasehold rules changing? Charged £720 to have a key cut - soaring bills drive leaseholders to breaking point Rayner served as ...
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