Asked by: Theresa Villiers (Conservative - Chipping Barnet)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to ensure developers take responsibility for remedying fire safety defects in blocks of under eleven metres which they have built.
Answered by Lee Rowley
The Government has implemented a risk-based and proportionate approach to regulating safety in residential buildings and in remediating cladding and other building safety defects. In general, the risk to life in lower-rise buildings is low and can be mitigated, for example, by installing fire alarms.
We are aware of a very small number of buildings under 11 metres where expensive remediation has been suggested. We have written to freeholders and managing agents in affected buildings to make sure that any proposed works are necessary and proportionate and the rights to redress are being fully utilised.
The Government has retrospectively extended the limitation period under Section 1 of the Defective Premises Act 1972 enabling legal action against developers and contractors where works completed in the last 30 years made a dwelling not 'fit for habitation'. This extends to buildings under 11 metres.
Any leaseholders concerned about works being proposed in their building can seek free information and advice from The Leasehold Advisory Service, funded by the Department.
Asked by: Theresa Villiers (Conservative - Chipping Barnet)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what estimate he has made of the number of leaseholders in buildings of less than eleven metres who have been issued with costly bills for non-cladding fire remediation.
Answered by Lee Rowley
The Government has implemented a risk-based and proportionate approach to regulating safety in residential buildings and in remediating cladding and other building safety defects. In general, the risk to life in lower-rise buildings is low and can be mitigated, for example, by installing fire alarms.
We are aware of a very small number of buildings under 11 metres where expensive remediation has been suggested. We have written to freeholders and managing agents in affected buildings to make sure that any proposed works are necessary and proportionate and the rights to redress are being fully utilised.
The Government has retrospectively extended the limitation period under Section 1 of the Defective Premises Act 1972 enabling legal action against developers and contractors where works completed in the last 30 years made a dwelling not 'fit for habitation'. This extends to buildings under 11 metres.
Any leaseholders concerned about works being proposed in their building can seek free information and advice from The Leasehold Advisory Service, funded by the Department.
Asked by: Theresa Villiers (Conservative - Chipping Barnet)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make it his policy not to have targets for local authorities on house building.
Answered by Lucy Frazer
This Government is committed to making home ownership a reality for a new generation, and we must build homes in the places that people want to live and work. We want decisions about homes to be driven locally and we want to get more local plans in place to deliver the homes we need.
We will set out our approach on planning for housing in due course.
Asked by: Theresa Villiers (Conservative - Chipping Barnet)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will ensure that ancient woodlands in the Greater London area continue to be protected in the event that they are located in an area which is to become an investment zone.
Answered by Lee Rowley
I refer my Rt. Hon. Friend to Question UIN71118, answered on the 2 November 2022.
Asked by: Theresa Villiers (Conservative - Chipping Barnet)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will ensure that changes to planning rules in investment zones will not reduce protections for ancient woodlands.
Answered by Lee Rowley
I refer my Rt. Hon. Friend to Question UIN71118, answered on the 2 November 2022.
Asked by: Theresa Villiers (Conservative - Chipping Barnet)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether sale of a property will continue to be a valid ground on which to end a tenancy once plans to abolish section 21 evictions are implemented.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
As well as abolishing section 21 'no fault' evictions, we will introduce comprehensive, fair and efficient grounds to ensure landlords have confidence they can regain possession when it is reasonable. This includes introducing a new mandatory ground for landlords who wish to sell their property. To protect tenants' security, landlords will not be able to use this ground in the first six months of a tenancy.
These reforms to the grounds for possession are set out in the government response to our consultation 'A New Deal for Renting', published alongside our White Paper on 16 June 2022.
Asked by: Theresa Villiers (Conservative - Chipping Barnet)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 26 October 2021 to Question 58318, what his Department's definition is of marriage value.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
In January 2021, the Government announced a package of reforms on enfranchisement valuation. This included removing marriage value, which as set out in the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993, is where leaseholders with less than 80 years should pay extra value when the landlord's and leaseholder's separate interests are 'married' into single ownership.
Asked by: Theresa Villiers (Conservative - Chipping Barnet)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent discussions he has had with the professional building owner sector on proposals to abolish ground rents.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
Leaseholders pay ground rent on top of their property purchase price and service charges, yet there's no clear service provided in return. The Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Bill currently in Parliament will put an end to ground rents for new residential leasehold properties as part of the most significant changes to property law in a generation. The Bill's provisions will lead to fairer, more transparent homeownership for thousands of future leaseholders.
Following a consultation exercise, the Government announced its plans to restrict ground rents on new lease agreements in December 2017. The technical consultation Implementing Reforms to the Leasehold System in England ended on 26 November 2018 and we responded to it in June 2019. This received responses from a wide range of people, including professional building owners. On 7 January 2021, we announced that legislation would be brought forward in the upcoming session of Parliament, to set future ground rents to zero.
Since the announcement in 2017, ministers have met many professional owners and their representatives, as well as investors and developers. Details of Ministers' official meetings with external organisations are published and can be found on Gov.uk.
Asked by: Theresa Villiers (Conservative - Chipping Barnet)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the abolition of ground rents on leaseholders' ability to ensure that building owners take responsibility for (a) building safety and (b) responding effectively to fire safety problems.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
The Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Bill currently in Parliament will put an end to ground rents for new residential leasehold properties as part of the most significant changes to property law in a generation. The Bill's provisions will lead to fairer, more transparent homeownership for thousands of future leaseholders. Leaseholders pay ground rent on top of their property purchase price and service charges, yet there's no clear service provided in return.
The Ground Rent Bill is focused entirely on the issue of ground rents. The role of ensuring that the fabric of the building is maintained and safe for residents is an essential part of the relationship between freeholder, leaseholder and in some cases a managing agent. The cost of complying with these obligations is usually recoverable from the leaseholders through the service charge fund. In most cases the lease will allow the freeholder to recover the actual costs of the works, and the freeholder may also pass on the cost of managing or overseeing the works.
The Government is committed to bringing about the biggest improvement in building and fire safety for a generation. The Building Safety Bill contains measures to protect leaseholders by providing a legal requirement for building owners to prove they have tried all routes to cover the cost of essential safety works, along with evidence that this has been done. If this does not happen, leaseholders will be able to challenge these costs in the courts.
Asked by: Theresa Villiers (Conservative - Chipping Barnet)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of abolishing ground rents on the effectiveness of the Building Safety Bill in ensuring accountability for building safety.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
The Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Bill currently in Parliament will put an end to ground rents for new residential leasehold properties as part of the most significant changes to property law in a generation. The Bill's provisions will lead to fairer, more transparent homeownership for thousands of future leaseholders. Leaseholders pay ground rent on top of their property purchase price and service charges, yet there's no clear service provided in return.
The Ground Rent Bill is focused entirely on the issue of ground rents. The role of ensuring that the fabric of the building is maintained and safe for residents is an essential part of the relationship between freeholder, leaseholder and in some cases a managing agent. The cost of complying with these obligations is usually recoverable from the leaseholders through the service charge fund. In most cases the lease will allow the freeholder to recover the actual costs of the works, and the freeholder may also pass on the cost of managing or overseeing the works.
The Government is committed to bringing about the biggest improvement in building and fire safety for a generation. The Building Safety Bill contains measures to protect leaseholders by providing a legal requirement for building owners to prove they have tried all routes to cover the cost of essential safety works, along with evidence that this has been done. If this does not happen, leaseholders will be able to challenge these costs in the courts.