Leasehold: Contracts
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of requiring leasehold contracts to (a) include (i) a clear summary of the key terms and conditions and (ii) accessible web links to the full documentation, and (b) require leaseholders to sign to confirm they have read and understood those terms and conditions.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook
My Department has not carried out an assessment on this specific issue.
It is essential that leaseholders understand their rights and responsibilities and are able to access information regarding their leasehold arrangements.
Leaseholders can view high level information on their lease on the title register or request an official copy of their lease from HM Land Registry (HMLR) using form OC2. A dataset of registered leases is also published by HMLR and can be accessed free of charge for personal use. It can be found on gov.uk here.
On 4 July, the government published a consultation on strengthening leaseholder protections over charges and services. It can be found on gov.uk here. For an overview of the proposals set out in the consultation, I refer the hon. Member to the associated Written Ministerial Statement (HCWS780). The consultation closed on 26 September, and we are analysing responses.
On 6 October 2025, the government published a consultation on proposals to improve to the home buying and selling process. It can be found on gov.uk here.
The consultation includes proposals to require sellers and estate agents to provide upfront property information. This might include information relating to leasehold terms, property condition, and purchasing chains.
Under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, property listings must already not omit information that the average consumer needs to make an informed transactional decision.
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