What did the commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 do?

It brings stronger rights for residential leaseholders which will become law in stages from July. Amendment to the Leasehold Reform Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 enabling companies and non resident tenants to qualify for lease extensions or participate in the acquisition of freeholds.

What are the restrictions on forfeiture introduced by the commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002?

The new accounting provisions as set out in the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 has determined that forfeiture proceedings cannot be commenced for breach of covenant to pay Rent until (i) the rent has been formally demanded by the landlord and (ii) for non-payment of ‘small amounts’ of rent, service charge or …

What is a commonhold lease?

Commonhold is a form of ownership (or tenure) for multi-occupancy developments. Each unit-holder owns the freehold of their home, and a commonhold or residents’ association owns and manages the common parts of the property.

What must accompany any demand for administration charges?

“A demand for the payment of an administration charge must be accompanied by a summary of the rights and obligations of tenants of dwellings in relation to administration charges”. Both form and content of the summary are set out in the Statutory Instrument (wording set out below).

Is Commonhold better than leasehold?

Commonhold is broadly equivalent to freehold ownership of individual flats, it’s not limited to a number of years as with leasehold and is therefore (much) preferable to leasehold from a flat ownership point of view.

Has leasehold been banned?

Leasehold tenure has already been banned on new-build houses and does not exist at all in Scotland. When homeowners seek to extend their lease, under current rules the costs can be many thousands of pounds due to what is known as the “marriage value” – the value in joining up the freehold and the leasehold.

Can a leasehold be broken?

A lease is a contract between you as a leaseholder and the landlord. So if you breach the terms of your lease, you would be breaching the terms of such contract. The landlord may also seek possession of your flat which is also referred to as forfeiture.

Can you be kicked out of a leasehold?

It’s very rare that a landlord can end the lease and evict you. There are some circumstances and leases that let them do this, sometimes known as ‘forfeiture proceedings’. They need to send you a formal written notice and get the court’s permission. You can usually end a lease by giving at least 1 month’s notice.

Is commonhold better than leasehold?

Can leasehold be converted to commonhold?

Converting from leasehold to commonhold Existing leaseholders may be able to convert to commonhold. The procedure for converting to commonhold is complex and can be very expensive. It is likely to be most suitable for people who live in large blocks of flats where there is also commercial property (such as offices).

What rights do leaseholders have?

Leasehold ownership of a flat is simply a long tenancy, the right to occupation and use of the flat for a long period – the ‘term’ of the lease. Furthermore under right to manage (see below), the lessees may not own the freehold but are able to manage the building as if they were the landlord.

What happens if you don’t pay service charge?

If you can’t pay your service charge, or you’ve fallen into arrears, you should contact the landlord or management company of your property to discuss your options for repaying the arrears. If you don’t take steps to deal with the arrears, the freeholder could take court action and you could lose your home.