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Property investment firms to be investigated over ground rents

The Competition and Markets Authority is to probe property investment companies that have purchased freeholds from developers and that go on to use the same contract terms.

The revelation has come to light in the small print of a high profile announcement by the CMA regarding house builders Countryside and Taylor Wimpey. 

Over the weekend the authority issued a statement saying it had written to Countryside and Taylor Wimpey, ordering them to remove contractual terms which could mean a doubling of ground rent every 10 or 15 years.

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In some cases, investment companies may have bought the ground rent rights from developers - hence the CMA probe.

“As this [ground rent] increase is built into contracts, it means people can struggle to sell or mortgage their homes, and so find themselves trapped. These terms can also affect their property rights” the authority statement says. 

Countryside and Taylor Wimpey now have the opportunity to respond to the CMA’s detailed concerns and avoid court action by signing formal commitments – known as ‘undertakings’ – to remove the ground rent terms from their leasehold contracts.

Andrea Coscelli, CMA chief executive, says: “These ground rent terms can make it impossible for people to sell or get a mortgage on their homes, meaning they find themselves trapped. This is unacceptable. 

“Countryside and Taylor Wimpey must entirely remove all these terms from existing contracts to make sure that they are on the right side of the law.

“If these developers do not address our concerns, we will take further action, including through the courts, if necessary.”

And Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick says: “This behaviour must end and I look forward to appropriate redress being forthcoming for leaseholders.

“The government is pursuing the most significant reforms to leasehold in forty years, including by protecting future homeowners, restricting ground rents in new leases to zero and ending the use of leasehold in new houses altogether.”

Want to comment on this story? If so...if any post is considered to victimise, harass, degrade or intimidate an individual or group of individuals on any basis, then the post may be deleted and the individual immediately banned from posting in future.

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    Why don't people read these things before buying off the developer, no small wounder they cannot sell them on, who in their right mind is going to buy them ?

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    There is always a smart arse like you, the General Public tend to rely on these things being pointed out by Solicitors, however this does not always happen.

    As for these unscrupulous Freeholders, they are Parasites and the more the Government can do to restrict their ability to rip off the Public the better. Leaseholds should be totally abolished.

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    Oh I say Robert, touched a raw nerve there have I ? solicitors should point these things out but few do these days, anyone that signs a document with out reading and fully understanding it is a fool pure and simple, and to be honest with you it's my opinion that anyone buying leasehold is also a fool, buyer beware .

     
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    I think they could be long leaseholders say 999 years that would also mean no ground rent. I suppose you can’t only have one Freeholder for Block of Flats, I extended one cost £14k for nothing really, service charge is bad enough. I think you on Andrew is unnecessary when we are presented with documents to sign always terms and conditions, no choice really either sign or not or you can’t proceed & walk away.

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