Every proposed, consulted, and in-force leasehold reform in England and Wales — with plain-English status and what it means for leaseholders. Updated monthly.
📅 Last updated: June 2026 — Read our full guide to the 2026 Bill →
The Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Act 2022 banned ground rent on most new residential long leases in England and Wales. All new leases from 30 June 2022 must set ground rent at peppercorn (zero). Breaches carry civil penalties of up to £5,000.
The same 2022 Act banned regulated ground rent on new retirement property leases, with a delayed commencement to allow the sector to adapt.
The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 banned the granting of new long residential leasehold houses (with very limited exceptions). Houses sold as new builds must now be sold freehold.
Under the 2024 Act, owners of leasehold houses no longer need to wait two years before claiming their right to buy the freehold.
Managing agents must now disclose commissions received on buildings insurance placed on behalf of leaseholders.
The 2024 Act removed the 25% non-residential floor area threshold for buildings with up to 50 flats, making RTM available to more mixed-use buildings.
These provisions are in the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 but require separate commencement orders — statutory instruments that activate each provision — before they take legal effect.
The standard statutory lease extension term increases from 90 years to 990 years for both flats and houses. Leaseholders extending after commencement will receive a 990-year extension — making re-extension effectively unnecessary for any practical lifetime. No confirmed date.
The two-year qualifying ownership period before a leaseholder can claim a statutory lease extension or participate in collective enfranchisement is abolished for flats. No confirmed commencement date.
The requirement to pay marriage value (50% of the uplift in combined property value) when extending a lease with less than 80 years remaining is abolished. This is the most financially significant provision — potentially saving leaseholders £10,000–£80,000+ on extension premiums. No confirmed commencement date. Not yet in force.
The Secretary of State will be able to prescribe relativity tables by regulation, replacing the contested RICS graph disputes. Not yet enacted.
Leaseholders will have the right to receive detailed annual service charge accounts in a prescribed format, making it easier to challenge unreasonable charges.
The default rule requiring leaseholders to pay freeholders' legal costs in lease extension disputes will be reversed — each party will bear their own costs in most cases.
These provisions appear in the Draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill published for consultation in early 2026. None are yet law. Full guide to the 2026 Bill →
All existing residential leases in England would have ground rent capped at £250 per year, regardless of what the lease says. Doubling clauses and RPI escalation overridden. Falls to peppercorn after 40 years. Full guide →
Equivalent provision for Welsh residential leases. Same mechanism as England but at a lower cap level.
New residential flats must be sold as commonhold. Leasehold prohibited for new-build residential properties. Existing leasehold properties are not affected.
Commonhold — where each owner holds their unit outright with no lease and no time limit — replaces leasehold as the mandatory form of ownership for new-build flats.
Existing leaseholders could convert their building to commonhold by majority vote (rather than requiring unanimity as current law demands). A majority vote among leaseholders would be sufficient.
The freeholder's right to terminate (forfeit) a leaseholder's lease for breach — including for minor service charge arrears — would be abolished and replaced with a debt recovery regime.
Freeholders and managing agents would be required to publish benchmark service charge information. Charges exceeding benchmarks by more than 20% would face automatic Tribunal referral.
The government is consulting on protections for leaseholders in buildings with cladding and fire safety defects, following the Grenfell Tower Inquiry report. Further legislation expected.
A separate Law Commission review and government consultation is examining mandatory qualifications, regulation, and a code of conduct for managing agents. No legislation yet.
The 2024 Act included provisions to regulate charges on freehold estates (often called Fleecehold), but commencement is under review. Affects homeowners on housing estates paying private management charges.
We update this tracker monthly and will email you when any provision changes status — particularly when commencement dates for marriage value abolition or the ground rent cap are confirmed.
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