Leasehold London – bigger costs than the rest of England
- Over a third of London’s homes are leasehold – more than double the proportion than in the rest of England.1
- The median service charge that owner-occupier leaseholders pay in the capital is more than £200 per year higher than in the rest of the country.2
The costs of leasehold have left some to report feeling trapped by the leasehold system – unable to sell their flats because of excessive service charges, and not able to afford the price of living in them. Leaseholders and social tenants alike are campaigning for better transparency and fairer costs.
Tomorrow, the London Assembly Housing Committee will ask campaigners and experts about issues including service charges, ground rents and remediation, and whether the Mayor and the Government are doing enough to support leaseholders who are facing excessive costs.
The guests are:
- Harry Scoffin, Campaigner, Free Leaseholders
- Suz Muna, Campaigner, Social Housing Action Campaign
- Sue Philips, Founder, Shared Ownership Resource
- Martin Boyd, Chair, LEASE
The meeting will take place on Thursday 12 December from 2pm, in the Chamber at City Hall, Kamal Chunchie Way, E16 1ZE.
Media and members of the public are invited to attend.
The meeting can also be viewed LIVE or later via webcast or YouTube.
Follow us @LondonAssembly.
Notes to editors
- Data from 2022-23 showed that over a third (36.1%) of London’s homes are leasehold. MHCLG, Leasehold dwellings 2022-23, 9 May 2024. Rest of England figures calculated to exclude London. MHCLG figures represent an estimate of the number.
- EHS_22-23_Satisfaction_and_Complaints_Annex_Tables_v3.ods (live.com). In 2022-23, the median yearly service charge paid by owner occupier leaseholders in London was £1,450 compared to £1,222 across England.
- Read the agenda in full.
- As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.
- Sem Moema AM, Chair of the Housing Committee, is available for interview.
- Find out more about the work of the Housing Committee.
For more information, please contact Josh Hunt in the Assembly Media Office on 07763 252310 or [email protected]. For out of hours media enquiries please call 020 7983 4000 and ask for the Assembly duty press officer.