Building Safety Under Pressure, Leasehold Under Review

This week on Cladding Matters, we are joined by Gideon Amos MP, the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Housing and Planning. Fresh from the party’s Bournemouth Conference, he will be sharing his views and giving us his reaction to the debates that put leasehold reform and building safety firmly back on the political map.

At the conference, Amos pressed home a message that will ring true with thousands of leaseholders and freeholders alike. The “fleecehold” model, along with unfair service charges and poorly regulated management companies, has created what he calls a great property rip-off. It is an issue that has been brewing for years, with residents paying over the odds while being left with very little say.

The motion backed at conference sets out a commitment to regulate the sector, rein in unfair fees, and restore a measure of fairness to those living in managed estates. It is a step that many campaigners have been waiting to hear, and one that could mark the start of much wider reform. For leaseholders trapped in unfair arrangements, even the promise of greater transparency and proper regulation could make a huge difference.

Amos has also been clear that leasehold reform cannot be looked at in isolation. He highlighted that around 1.7 million people are still living in unsafe blocks of flats not covered by the current Building Safety Act. For those residents, life remains stuck in limbo, with unsafe homes they cannot sell and mortgages they cannot secure. The promise from Amos is that he will push for new protections so that remediation covers all building safety risks, not just some.

That pledge is important because so much of the public debate has focused on cladding, while other defects have slipped under the radar. Fire breaks, insulation, balconies, and structural faults are all part of the picture. If those risks are ignored, then residents are left carrying the burden, while developers and management firms continue to escape full accountability.

This week’s discussion will be a chance to explore those promises in more detail. How far will the Lib Dems go if they are in a position to shape housing policy? How will new regulations actually work in practice? And crucially, what does this all mean for the millions still living in unsafe flats or under the shadow of unfair leasehold contracts?

Adding to the conversation will be our regular contributor Stephen Day, who knows from personal experience the strain that unresolved building defects bring. I will also be there, Hamish McLay, to keep the conveyancing perspective in the frame. And, as ever, Gareth Wax will be in the chair guiding the conversation.

Cladding Matters goes live this Friday at 1pm. It promises to be an important session, bringing together political insight, lived experience, and professional expertise to shine a light on the pressure points of leasehold and building safety today.

We hope you can join us for what should be an engaging and timely discussion. These are issues that affect not just leaseholders and freeholders, but the wider housing market and the confidence people have in the homes they live in.

Watch live or catch up later on our YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@SpillingTheProper-Tea

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