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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will ensure that building management companies covering new developments have adequate (a) investment funds and (b) fees for continued (i) maintenance and (ii) rejuvenation of public spaces.

As part of our manifesto commitment to bring the injustice of ‘fleecehold’ private housing estates to an end, the government intends to consult on options to reduce the prevalence of private management arrangements for new estates which are the root cause of the problems faced by many residential leaseholders.

The government is clear that new housing estates must have a sustainable plan for their long-term maintenance, upkeep and regeneration. The National Design Guide and National Model Design Code, which are both part of the suite of planning practice guidance that supports the National Planning Policy Framework, emphasise that well designed places consider management and maintenance regimes from the early stages of the design process and set them out in a management plan.