Ground rents to be capped under Labour’s leasehold shake-up

The prime minister announced the news on TikTok

Ground rents will be capped at £250-a-year in England and Wales as part of sweeping changes to the leasehold system announced by the government.

New leasehold flats will be banned, and existing leaseholders will get the right to switch to commonhold in a bid to give homeowners greater control over their properties under the reforms.

Making the major announcement in a video posted on TikTok, prime minister Sir Keir Starmer said: “I’ve spoken to so many people who say this will make a difference to them worth hundreds of pounds.

“That’s really important because the cost of living is the single most important thing across the country.”

It comes after backbenchers, including former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner, urged the government to stick to Labour’s manifesto promise to tackle “unregulated and unaffordable ground rent charges” amid concerns the move could impact pension funds.

Writing in The Guardian earlier this month, she said ministers were “subjected to furious lobbying from wealthy investors” trying to water down the commitment and warned people may lose faith if the party could not fix the “obvious injustice” with a cap.

Labour MPs have also previously urged ministers to go further than ending new leasehold flats by scrapping the system entirely.

Housing secretary Steve Reed said the government was committed to “a comprehensive reform of leasehold so that we can abolish it” as he faced questions from broadcasters about the changes.

Asked what the timeframe would be for achieving this, he told Sky News that ministers would “be able to announce that when we announce the results of the consultation”.

Labour MPs have also previously urged ministers to go further than ending new leasehold flats by scrapping the system entirely (PA)

The reforms will be included in draft legislation to be published on Tuesday.

The Residential Freehold Association (RFA), which is the trade body representing professional freeholders, said the ground rent cap was “wholly unjustified” and warned over the impact on the UK’s reputation for investors.

A spokesperson for the RFA said: “The inclusion of a ground rent cap in the draft Leasehold and Commonhold Reform Bill represents a wholly unjustified interference with existing property rights which if enacted, would seriously damage investor confidence in the UK housing market and send a dangerous and unprecedented signal to the wider institutional investment sector.

“Property rights and contract law are fundamental drivers of domestic and global investor confidence in the UK.

“Instead of focusing on those reforms which address the issues that leaseholders care most about, the government’s draft bill will tear up long-established contracts and property rights, which are pillars of the UK’s investment reputation.

“This is, despite the previous government’s own impact assessment showing compensation could exceed £27bn.

“The resulting forced exit of professional freeholders from the sector, will hinder building safety projects and disrupt the day-to-day lives of residents.”