Asked by: Bradley Thomas (Conservative - Bromsgrove)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what monitoring, outcome delivery and value-for-money assessments have taken place for Homes England grants awarded to McCarthy Stone since 2021; what financial risk assessments have been conducted regarding resale values and service charges for older residents and their families who have purchased properties developed via this grant; and what discussions she has had with Homes England on publishing a review outlining funding decisions and performance so far.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Regular reporting and evaluation requirements were placed upon recipients of grant from the Affordable Homes Programme 2021-26, including those delivering Older Persons Shared Ownership (OPSO), to help monitor delivery and assess its expected outputs and outcomes.
While my Department and Homes England set the policy and funding framework within which OPSO was delivered under the 2021-26 Programme, individual registered providers are responsible for the management of their schemes, the terms of their leases and their engagement with residents. We would expect them to ensure that purchasers are provided with clear and transparent information about the product they are buying, including the costs and obligations associated with it.
As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 26 November 2024 (HCWS249), my Department is giving careful consideration to the recommendations from the Older People's Housing Taskforce report, including its recommendation that the government should implement the Law Commission’s 2017 recommendation to undertake a comprehensive report into resale values to support better consumer understanding and sector development.
The level of service charge that leaseholders pay depends on many factors, including the terms of a lease and the age and condition of a building. By law, variable service charges must be reasonable. Overcharging through service charges is completely unacceptable. Should leaseholders wish to content the reasonableness of their service charges they may make an application to the appropriate tribunal. The government remains committed to switching on measures contained in the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 to drive up the transparency of service charges as set out in the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 15 July 2026 (HCWS270).
Asked by: Iqbal Mohamed (Independent - Dewsbury and Batley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has considered introducing additional safeguards within the land registration process to alert spouses, civil partners or individuals with parental responsibility where a jointly occupied family home is being sold, transferred or remortgaged.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
HM Land Registry (HMLR) maintains the register of title. The register records legal ownership and interests which affect it. It does not record who is in occupation of the property, or whether it is a family home. Someone who is preparing to buy or take a mortgage over a property can make an official search to protect their disposition (often shortly before they complete the transaction), but applications to register transfers and mortgages are sent to HMLR after they have been completed.
Spouses and civil partners who have rights of occupation in the family home which are a charge on the property under the Family Law Act 1996 can apply for entry of a notice of home rights against the registered title. Entry of the home rights notice protects the priority of the rights against subsequent registrable dispositions, including transfers and mortgages. It is not anticipated that this protection will be sought until the marriage or civil partnership appears to be in jeopardy.
HMLR also offers a free Property Alert service which is intended to help protect against property fraud. The service allows subscribers to be notified of official searches and applications against properties they are monitoring. Further information can be found here.
HMLR does not have any current plans to introduce an alert for occupiers of family homes within its registration process.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid Down)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Government funding announcement to establish a new National Housing Bank (£16 billion) will be allocated to the Devolved Administrations via the Barnett formula.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The National Housing Bank provides loans, equity investment and guarantees to support housing delivery and regeneration across England.
Devolved governments receive an aggregate Financial Transactions allocation as part of the block grant. Between 2026-27 and 2029-30, the devolved governments will receive £2.3 billion in FT capital, including an additional £1.0 billion through the operation of the Barnett formula.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
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 hold discussions with the Land Registry on the potential impact of errors in the processing of title deeds on leaseholders.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
HM Land Registry (HMLR) operates a statutory indemnity scheme under Schedule 8 to the Land Registration Act 2002. Where an individual suffers loss as a result of a qualifying mistake in the register, they may be entitled to compensation. HMLR also has established processes to correct mistakes in the register when they are identified.
It should be noted that almost 20% of applications result in requests for more information, referred to as ‘requisition’ letters, when there is missing or incorrect information. Depending on the complexity of the issue and responsiveness of all parties, this can generate significant delays of multiple months to the application.
To improve the quality of applications, HMLR are sharing avoidable requisition data to help customers see where issues are arising and focus their improvement activity where it can have the greatest impact.
HMLR also offer free guidance, training and dedicated support to help firms submit more complete and accurate applications. Their training can be found on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what have been the average wait time for routine changes to registered titles at the HM Land Registry each year since 2015.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The average wait time for completion of applications to register routine changes to existing titles since 2021 were as follows:
2021 | 16 working days |
2022 | 9 working days |
2023 | 8 working days |
2024 | 5 working days |
2025 | 5 working days |
2026 | 11 working days |
Data prior to 2021 is not readily available.
Average processing times do not always reflect the range of individual customer experiences, which is why HM Land Registry publishes its latest processing times on gov.uk here.
Customers can request fast-tracking at no extra cost if an application becomes urgent. HM Land Registry processed over 400k last year, with 95% completed within 10 working days.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's press release entitled Full steam ahead to fast-track more homes near stations, published on 17 August 2026, what assessment has been made of the adequacy of local authorities' ability to secure contributions towards the additional infrastructure required as a result of development around stations.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Members to policies HC1, S2 and S5 of the new National Planning Policy Framework published on 17 August.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she plans to take to ensure that opportunities for development around railway stations are reflected in local plans.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Members to policies HC1, S2 and S5 of the new National Planning Policy Framework published on 17 August.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what is the expectation for the office attendance rate of Land Registry staff to attend the office; and what are the addresses of each office of the Land Registry.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
HM Land Registry operates a hybrid working model in line with standard practice across the Civil Service.
All staff are contracted to work from one of their 14 registered offices and are expected to spend at least 60% of their time on average (100% for colleagues undergoing training) working in an office.
HM Land Registry office addresses are published on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assurances she can provide that the proposed Cambridge East development will incorporate transparent and accountable estate management arrangements and effective engagement with local residents and parish councils.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Detailed proposals for the development of the Cambridge East site that was acquired in June 2026 by Homes England and The Hill Group, including future estate management arrangements, will be considered through the masterplanning and planning process, including the standard formal period of public consultation prior to any planning application being decided.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when she plans to respond substantively to Question 27610, tabled by the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire on 7 September 2026.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Detailed proposals for the development of the Cambridge East site that was acquired in June 2026 by Homes England and The Hill Group, including future estate management arrangements, will be considered through the masterplanning and planning process, including the standard formal period of public consultation prior to any planning application being decided.