Housebuilders will be prevented from selling leasehold new-build houses in England, with ground rents also being banned on such properties, as the government tackles the exploitative contracts. Communities Secretary Sajid Javid will publish plans to ban new-build houses from being sold as leasehold next week, however, flats will not be included in any new legislation. The move is part of a wider crackdown by Mr Javid, who has been accused of “playing politics over people’s lives” and “trying to get his own way”. There is no information as yet about remedies or assistance for existing leasehold house owners.
Housebuilders will be prevented from selling leasehold new-build houses in England, with ground rents also being banned on such properties, as the government tackles the exploitative contracts. Communities Secretary Sajid Javid will publish plans to ban new-build houses from being sold as leasehold next week, however, flats will not be included in any new legislation. The ban is due to be enforced after an eight-week consultation period and has garnered support from campaigners against unreasonable rises in ground rents. There is no information as yet about remedies or assistance for existing leasehold house owners.