Regulation of Property Agents

Robert Jenrick Excerpts

1st reading: House of Commons
Wednesday 18th October 2017 Commons Chamber

[Alok Sharma]

I welcome my hon. Friend’s comments. He refers to the power of leaseholders more generally, but I point out to him that we would also like to reinvigorate commonhold.

[Robert Jenrick (Newark) (Con)]

There is anger in Newark that the common areas and public spaces around almost every freehold property built in and around the town by major developers are subject to a management charge. As other Members have pointed out, such charges essentially mean that the community has to pay two council tax bills in perpetuity. National developers are profiting from the scam, and councils do not have the power to resist it. I am pressuring the local council to resist it—I think it actually enjoys the arrangement because it benefits from it—but we need to give councils powers so that local MPs such as me can say that the practice is unacceptable and has to stop.

[Alok Sharma]

My hon. Friend makes a powerful point. We will, of course, reflect on that matter when we respond to the leasehold consultation.