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The Minister of State, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (Rachel Maclean)
It is a great pleasure to respond to this debate and to serve under your chairmanship, Dr Huq.
I start by thanking the hon. Member for North Shropshire (Helen Morgan) for securing this debate on an issue that she feels passionately about. Indeed, many of us feel passionately about it, and it is a testament to the persistence and determination of many colleagues in the House that we are again debating this vital issue.
As the hon. Member did during the recent Opposition day debate, she brought to the House’s attention powerful examples from her area; I think that it is particularly on the Brambles estate in Whitchurch where the current system is not working for homeowners. I am hugely frustrated at the situation that those homeowners find themselves in.
I thank my hon. Friends the Members for North East Bedfordshire (Richard Fuller) and for Buckingham (Greg Smith) for the discussions we have had about this issue and for the attention to detail they have brought to our process of scrutinising and preparing the legislation that we very much hope to introduce soon. I will come on to that shortly.
The Opposition Front-Bench spokesperson, the hon. Member for Greenwich and Woolwich (Matthew Pennycook), correctly highlighted the cross-party support on this issue. He has been supportive and constructive in his tone, both today and other occasions. I welcome that, because it makes the case for all of us to pursue the legislation and to ensure that it is brought to the House swiftly.
There was a broad consensus on the need for change. Let me use this opportunity to assure Members that fairness remains at the heart of our ambition for the housing market. We all know that we need to drive up housing supply so that we have the homes that the country needs, but while doing that, we need to ensure that buyers are getting high-quality and safe housing on modern, beautiful estates—if that is what is being built—that they can enjoy for years to come. Unfortunately, too many homeowners who bought their properties in good faith have not had their expectations met.
In the past, as Members have highlighted, it was typical for councils to adopt local infrastructure and shared spaces, but the system has changed in recent years. I recognise that on more and more estates, it is common for the shared spaces to be owned and managed by another party. The ownership of the land varies between developments. On some estates, it is owned and managed by a resident-led management company, often with the support of a managing agent, which provides expertise and services to the residents in the running of the estate. On other estates, the land is owned and managed by private management companies. Some have connections to the original developers; others are third-party companies.
It is often not down to the homeowners themselves to decide which type of management arrangement is in place on the estate. Commonly, that is set by the developer before any of the houses are sold. Either way, as has been pointed out, homeowners on these estates must pay a charge to cover the upkeep of open green spaces, roads, sewerage, drainage and other shared infrastructure, such as balancing ponds and play areas, which have been highlighted. In such circumstances, we must ensure that homeowners get a fair deal and do not end up in a vulnerable position as a result of these arrangements.
My hon. Friend the Member for Buckingham and the hon. Member for North Shropshire called for local authorities to be compelled to adopt all communal facilities on a new estate. It is worth pausing to consider why that does not happen at the moment. Our current planning arrangements exist to support new developments. When a new development is granted planning permission, the local authority can obtain section 106 planning obligations to secure a commitment from the developer. That means that the local authority does not have to adopt and maintain the land at its own expense. Local authorities no doubt take such financial considerations into account when they make these decisions, but it is up to developers and the local planning authority to agree on specific issues such as timescales for development and appropriate funding arrangements, and it is clear to me that, in a lot of cases that have been brought to our attention, that process is breaking down.
The local authority has powers to ensure that the developer builds and maintains communal facilities to the standards and quality set out in the planning permission. It is worth noting that the maintenance of communal areas, and of roads in particular, can be a significant financial burden. This is why it is right that the decision about adoption should rest with the local authority. The Department for Transport has recently issued guidance on the circumstances in which local authorities should be adopting roads. Again, I note that this can be a fraught area in some situations; I have seen that from my correspondence.
We need transparency. We need a system that consistently delivers clarity to potential purchasers and arms them with information about the arrangements for the maintenance of shared spaces on private estates. That information should be set out as part of the conveyancing process. Many already use the freehold management enquiries form, the FME1, published by the Law Society. I know that the form is used widely across the sector, but I have heard that for some buyers the information was not provided, or perhaps not drawn to their attention, at the point of purchase. That may have been the experience of some of the constituents my hon. Friends and colleagues have spoken about.
If a homeowner is unhappy with the service that they received from their conveyancer or solicitor, and the internal complaints process cannot resolve the issue, the legal ombudsman may be able to help. That needs to happen within six months of the homeowner’s final response from their conveyancer or solicitor. My hon. Friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire highlighted the issues with buying and selling homes, the process for which in England and Wales can be expensive, time-consuming and stressful. For that reason, we committed to improving the process in the levelling-up White Paper.
We have committed to work with industry to ensure that potential buyers have access to the critical information that they need in an accurate and timely format. That will help them to make an informed decision about whether to purchase a property, reducing the likelihood of the sale falling through. Some of that work is already taking place, but the Government are committed to continuing to create a fair and just housing system for everybody.
Too often, once a homeowner has moved into their home, they are asked to pay charges without an effective breakdown of what they cover. This is a matter of basic fairness and justice. Homeowners deserve to know what they are paying for on their estate. As with leaseholders, a lack of transparency, both at the homebuying stage and when people are settled in their property, leaves homeowners in an unfair and often vulnerable position.
Helen Morgan
That is the crux of the matter. If rogue management companies acting in bad faith do not provide that information and do not have an AGM, there is no remedy for homeowners to challenge what they are up to, or to take control of the situation. If those basic Companies Act requirements are not being fulfilled, could there be some legislative remedy for homeowners that does not involve them incurring the enormous expense of going to court? For example, could they take on the management of the company if basic Companies Act requirements are not complied with?
Rachel Maclean
I thank the hon. Member again for reminding us of this issue. I hope that she will bear with me, as I am coming on to our intended legislative remedy, through which we intend to drive up transparency for homeowners. Better transparency will help people to be better informed about buying a home on a managed estate and empower them to question or challenge the charges when they are billed. Alongside that, they must have better rights to challenge, as the hon. Member just said.
Freeholders on managed estates are currently at a disadvantage compared even with leaseholders, for whom the system is not perfect by a long way, regarding their ability to challenge costs and poor service. Leaseholders already have certain protections and rights that enable them to hold landlords and management companies to account, yet freehold homeowners have no such equivalent, although they may be paying for very similar services. The situation is clearly unfair, and we are committed to introducing legislation to plug the gap.
Let me come on to what we intend to do, which I am sure Members are keen to hear. We intend to create a new statutory regime for freehold homeowners based on the rights that leaseholders have. We will give homeowners the right to challenge the reasonableness of the estate management charges at the first-tier tribunal, and the right to change the provider of management services by applying to the tribunal to appoint a new manager. That will be an important power when a homeowner is unhappy with the service that they are receiving and there is a significant failure by the estate management provider in meeting its obligations.
The hon. Member for North Shropshire mentioned existing homeowner rights, which will depend on the ownership of the land and the terms of the transfer. People should seek independent advice on the options available to them. For example, if a management company is not complying with its obligations, homeowners may be able to use contract law and make an application to the county court for an injunction for specific performance. That will require the management company to comply with its obligations.
Resident-led management companies are independent companies to which residents are appointed as directors. Sometimes the articles of association, which set out how the company will run, will specify that homeowners are automatically part of the company and so can vote at the AGM. Homeowners may also be able to call extraordinary general meetings, and they can apply for an injunction for specific performance if the company is not complying with the articles of association of any management agreement. But we know we must do more, which is why we will consider introducing a right to manage for freehold homeowners. That will follow from our consideration of the Law Commission’s report and recommendations on changes to the right to manage for leaseholders.
It is not only estate management charges that need to be reasonable. As I mentioned in last week’s Westminster Hall debate, the principle must also apply to the administration fees that individual homeowners may face in their dealings with estate management companies. Therefore, we will legislate to require that all administration charges must be reasonable, which will mean that they may be challenged at the first-tier tribunal.
I want briefly to mention the Competition and Markets Authority’s house building market study.
Richard Fuller
Before the Minister moves on from charges, I wish to make the point that I made earlier, although she may not wish to comment now. If those changes are made, is it the Government’s intention that people who have been charged excessively, or can make the case that they have been, prior to that legislative change will be provided with access to those tribunal options?
Rachel Maclean
My hon. Friend’s point is very much in my mind. He is right to make it—he has made it to me multiple times—because it is a very important point. While the legislation is being prepared, I cannot comment specifically on the individual measures that will be in it, but I have no doubt that when we bring it forward, he will probe and challenge every part of it. I very much hope that we can achieve a successful situation at the end of that process.
In February, the Competition and Markets Authority launched a market study on house building, as part of which it will examine the fairness of estate management fees charged for unadopted roads and amenities. It will make recommendations about policy and regulatory changes. My hon. Friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire may be interested to find out about those.
There is also an issue of redress in relation to the fit and finish of residents’ homes on new estates. Invariably, the problems are the result of inadequate quality control. People have encountered unfinished roads, half-built playgrounds and a lack of recourse to resolve those issues, all of which are unacceptable. We have been clear that new housing developments should be finished on time and to a high standard. If things go wrong, homebuyers must be treated promptly and fairly.
There are existing routes to redress, which we are strengthening through the Building Safety Act 2022. We have included a provision for a statutory new homes ombudsman, which will make developers more accountable and make it easier and simpler for new home buyers to seek redress when things go wrong. We are considering the arrangements for the statutory scheme and are working on the next steps, which we will set out in due course. In the meantime, the independent New Homes Quality Board has established the voluntary new homes ombudsman service, which launched last autumn. It can handle complaints from homebuyers about new homes built by developers that have registered, and it is 100% free for homebuyers to use.
Let me turn finally to the most important matter for hon. Members: the timing of these changes. Unfortunately, I do not have much to add to what I have already said, which is that legislation for the next Session will be set out in the King’s Speech. Everybody in the Chamber will have heard the Secretary of State and I say that it is our intention that the King’s Speech will contain a Bill that will address the issues that have rightly been raised. That remains our priority.
Fairness needs to be at the heart of the housing system. The arrangements for the upkeep of open spaces and roads on freehold estates should always be clear to potential homebuyers, and costs charged must be transparent and reasonable. Homeowners need to have access to redress when things go wrong and be empowered to hold their estate management companies to account. That is why we remain committed to legislating as soon as we can. I thank all colleagues for their consistent advocacy and campaigning on this vital issue, which, as has been said, affects a million people around the country.