The vast majority of residents who live in the city centre and waterfront have bought or are renting a leasehold apartment. It is a very controversial form of tenure and has brought with it much heartache and anxiety for many people.

The BBC have recently released a new documentary series entitled: Britain’s Housing Crisis – What Went Wrong? It was reviewed by Sebastian O’Kelly on the website of the charity he heads: the Leasehold Knowledge Partnership and you can access it here: Most ‘nakedly furious’ BBC documentary in years. 19.10.23 Episodes 1 and 2 went out in early October but are available on iPlayer from 17th October 2023. Engage publishes every Newsletter delivered by LKP and they can be accessed here on our Notices page: E-Newsletters LKP

Residents can watch the BBC documentary by clicking on this link: BBC Two: iPlayer Britain’s Housing Crisis

Perhaps the majority of people in leasehold property will be renters and it is a whole other area of  tenure so challenging that there is an organisation specially dedicated to supporting those who find themselves in difficult circumstances. It is Generation Rent. They have been campaigning for legislative changes to make life for renters easier to navigate. An article recently published in The Guardian: Ministers ‘betray’ renters in England with delay to no-fault eviction ban 23.10.23 explores the issues around the problems that renters can face. This is also covered in the BBC documentary series.

Articles worth reading:

The Guardian: Leasehold in England and Wales is last redoubt of a colonial relic. 26.07.17 In this article you will read the following paragraph from Sebastian O’Kelly:

Sebastian O’Kelly, whose Leasehold Knowledge Partnership group has been at the forefront of the battle against spiralling ground rents, says apartment buyers should gain the same protections now being given to house buyers. “New leases should be indefinite; ground rent should be abolished; all flats should be built with residents’ management companies, so the residents take control once a majority of the flats are sold.”

Financial Times: Should we ban leasehold property? 23.07.20

BBC News: MPs urge ministers to get on with leasehold changes 23.05.23