News

Monday 11 March 2019

ALEP's response to Law Commission Consultation Paper: Reinvigorating Commonhold: the alternative to leasehold ownership

Consultation Paper: Reinvigorating Commonhold: the alternative to leasehold ownership

This is an open response from the Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners (‘ALEP’) to the Law Commission’s Consultation Paper No.241 on commonhold (‘the Consultation’).

ALEP welcomes and recognises the work being done by the Law Commission to recommend reforms to the current commonhold system that will make it a viable alternative to leasehold.

ALEP represents practitioners specialising in enfranchisement and as the Law Commission may be aware, ALEP chose Commonhold as its topic for its Spring Lecture in February 2018.

Because ALEP represents practitioners specialising in enfranchisement, we have directed our comments in this open response in the main to areas that touch and concern enfranchisement as these are the areas that are likely to be of most relevance to our members.

ALEP members represent both landlords and tenants, and in presenting the organisation’s view it should be borne in mind that ALEP itself is apolitical and represents a wide breadth of members.

We have requested that our members respond directly to the Consultation and we understand that many members of ALEP have submitted direct responses.

Friday 4 January 2019

ALEP response to Law Commission's consultation on leasehold home ownership - January 2019

ALEP has penned an open letter to the Law Commission outlining the Association’s collective response to its consultation ‘Leasehold home ownership: buying your freehold or extending your lease’.

As an organisation ALEP is apolitical and given that the Consultation’s terms of reference are political in part, there is a limit to what the Association can say by way of a specific response to each of the points raised in the Consultation. That said, views of members who attended the 9 November consultation forum were collated to form ALEP’s feedback to the Law Commission.

The response can be found here. 

Tuesday 4 December 2018

ALEP Honorary Secretary Report 2018

The following report was read by ALEP Director, Mark Chick: 

As we head towards the end of 2018, we can reflect on yet another year that has seen leasehold remain a hot topic and placed firmly under the microscope by government, the media, our colleagues in the wider property industry and consumers, too. As debates, challenges and consultations continue, I would like to take this opportunity to re-affirm ALEP’s position in the marketplace.

Wednesday 21 November 2018

When property law and consumer legislation collide: Jones v Roundlistic Limited [2018] EWCA Civ 2284

The Court of Appeal recently considered a case raising the question as to how far consumer rights legislation can be relied upon by a tenant in the context of a statutory lease extension under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993.  The relevant consumer legislation was the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999, which has now been replaced with near identical wording by the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

Friday 12 October 2018

It’s a hit! Leasehold enfranchisement sector unites for ALEP’s biggest ever Annual Conference as host encourages delegates to ‘seek clarity’ in response to Law Commission’s consultation

The Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners (ALEP) hosted its Annual Conference on Tuesday 9 October, with the sell-out event seeing more than 300 professionals gathering for the main event in the leasehold enfranchisement calendar.

Tuesday 2 October 2018

Calling all property professionals in Manchester! ALEP presents free leasehold enfranchisement event

Property professionals in Manchester will have the chance to broaden their knowledge of the UK’s leasehold system at a free to attend event presented by the Association of Leasehold Property Enfranchisement Practitioners (ALEP), and hosted by law firm, Irwin Mitchell

Thursday 20 September 2018

ALEP statement in response to Law Commission paper on leasehold reform

"The Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners (ALEP) has reviewed the Law Commission’s consultation paper ‘Leasehold home ownership: buying your freehold or extending your lease’ published on 20th September...

Friday 20 July 2018

ALEP welcomes the publication of the Law Commission's recommendations to reform the enfranchisement regime for leasehold houses

The Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners (ALEP) welcomes the publication of the Law Commission's recommendations to reform the enfranchisement regime for leasehold houses.

The Law Commission has proposed a number of options to improve the leasehold houses market including: to reduce the premium payable by leaseholders to extend their lease or purchase the freehold of their property, to introduce the right for leaseholders of houses to purchase longer lease extensions without a ground rent, and to remove technical barriers that prevent some leaseholders of houses from exercising their right to enfranchise.

Tuesday 10 July 2018

Practical business advice and leasehold enfranchisement best practice takes centre stage at upcoming ALEP conference

The Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners (ALEP) is hosting its annual conference on Tuesday 9 October 2018.

Tuesday 5 June 2018

ALEP Member Harold Benjamin announces two new partners

Harold Benjamin is delighted to announce that Mina Kakkad and Huseyin Huseyin are to join the firm’s soon to be 19 strong partnership as at 1 June 2018. Both will be based between the firm’s offices in Harrow and the West End.