Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 8 July 2020 to Question 68411, on Freehold: Service Charges, when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to give freeholders on private and mixed tenure estates equivalent rights to leaseholders to challenge the reasonableness of estate rent charges as well as a right to apply to the First-tier Tribunal to appoint a new manager for the provision of services covered by estate rent charges.

The Government is committed to promoting fairness and transparency for homeowners and ensuring that consumers are protected from abuse and poor service. Where people pay estate rent charges it is not appropriate that these homeowners have limited rights to challenge these costs

We will translate these measures into law when parliamentary time allows. We are committed to a long-term programme of reform to make sure that homeowners experience the benefits of true home ownership. It is complex with many interdependencies and will take time to get the detail right.