You are viewing 1 of your 1 free articles

Landlords ‘acting with impunity’ over leasehold major works rules, says advice body

News28.07.25by Alex Daniel

Leaseholders are being hit with spiralling bills for major building works without proper warning or input, a government-backed advice service has warned.

Two men in hi-vis jackets on scaffolding outside a block of flats

One in 10 advice requests the Leasehold Advisory Service received in the past year related to major-works consultations (picture: Alamy)

Sharelines

Leaseholders are being hit with spiralling bills for major building works without proper warning, a government-backed advice service has warned #UKHousing

The Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE) said landlords routinely ignored so-called Section 20 rules, which are meant to ensure leaseholders are consulted before major works begin.

LEASE said about one in 10 advice requests it received in the past year related to major-works consultations, with nearly a third of those involving landlords that had failed to follow the process properly.

This was despite leaseholders typically covering the full cost of the works, leaving many households with significant bills and limited influence over decision-making, it added.

The report comes as ministers consult on changes designed to help five million leaseholders in England and Wales by switching on measures in the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024.

Part of the proposals deal with improving the Section 20 process, which LEASE said was one of the most frequent issues on which leaseholders sought advice.

Some leaseholders reported landlords using a requirement for documents to be sent as a hard copy by post to obstruct them from getting information, it said. Others used deliberately vague descriptions of work, or provided an overwhelming amount of technical information to avoid proper scrutiny.

Martin Boyd, chair of LEASE, said: “Although leaseholders see the value in a process to consult them about major works on their property, it is clear there are fundamental issues with the current consultation process and many landlords are acting with impunity.”

LEASE recommended strengthening leaseholders’ power to challenge consultations, while weakening landlords’ ability to avoid it. It also said ministers should simplify the Section 20 process, and set clear standards for sharing information and documents.