Welcome to the fifth Law & Lease advent calendar, my annual review of all things service charge.
Last year I prefaced the calendar with a summary of the various Government and Law Commission consultations that were underway. It is probably fair to say that whereas in 2018 we were all busy sharing our views with those bodies, 2019 has been a year of (waiting for their) responses.
The year began with the final sessions of evidence in the Housing Communities and Local Government Select Committee Inquiry into leasehold reform. The Select Committee published its report on 20 March.
In late June, it published its response to its consultation on ‘Implementing reforms to the leasehold system’, followed, a week later, by its response to the Housing & Communities Select Committee Inquiry into leasehold reform. Two weeks after that, the working group on the regulation of property agents, aka ROPA, chaired by Lord Richard Best, published its recommendations for government on a new regulatory framework for property agents.
And the waiting?
We are waiting for the Government’s analysis of responses to its consultation on reform of the building safety regulatory system.
We also continue to wait for the Law Commission’s reports on enfranchisement, commonhold and the right to manage. Publication of its report on valuation in enfranchisement, originally planned for November this year, was put on hold when Parliament was dissolved for the General Election. At the time of writing, the release date of the valuation report is to be announced, but the Commission aims to publish its final recommendations for reforming all other areas of enfranchisement, commonhold and right to manage in February next year.
The Law & Lease advent calendar may (or may not) make the time pass more quickly, but what it can do is take you through each numbered “window” to a snippet of information that is related to service charges and associated, however tenuously (see number 24 last year), with that number.
The windows will open one by one, day by day – this is one advent calendar where it is impossible to cheat!
Have a very merry festive season. Best wishes, Amanda.
26/May/2022 @ 11:22 am
I can’t open number and would like to have a copy of what you wrote – given that it’s about my home!
Many thanks