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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has plans to bring forward legislative proposals to reform the forfeiture provisions of leasehold housing.

The Government believes that forfeiture is an extreme measure and should only be used as a last resort. In practice forfeiture happens very rarely and is subject to the right of relief, to be exercised at the court’s discretion.

Any changes to forfeiture will require a careful balancing of the rights and responsibilities of landlords and leaseholders and will require primary legislation. As a first step, we have asked the Law Commission to update their 2006 report Termination of Tenancies for Tenant Default, given the passage of time, and to take into account the implications of the reforms currently underway, and we are considering what action may be needed.