Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the impacts on first-time buyers of non-qualifying leaseholder status being tied to a property in perpetuity, in cases where a prior leaseholder owned multiple properties.

Freeholders can charge holders of non-qualifying leases a share of remediation costs incurred, in line with the terms of the lease. However, all leaseholders may still be able to recover remediation costs from a former owner, developer or associated company via a Remediation Contribution Order (RCO) and they may also be protected under the Developer Remediation Contract.

This Government recognises that many people are not fully protected by current rules. We know leaseholders are not responsible for the creation of historic building safety defects, and we are considering how to go further to protect leaseholders from current and future building safety issues, especially those groups left out of existing protections.