Tuesday 17th June 2025
Today HorNets were represented by Halima Ali at the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government select committee examining regulation of property managers. Whilst they were looking at the whole area to include estate agents, landlords agents, leasehold managers and commonhold managers there was a strong focus on estate management, possibly because of the complete absence of regulation in this area.
Halima gave evidence concerning the lack of accountability and transparency but also the lack of choice of manager and the need for adoption of estates with public areas – the commonest scenario in our experience. She was able to quote from our data and from the experiences of our many supporters. She explained that the presence of an estate charge adversely affects saleability and resale value of a home burdened with an estate charge, and the concern HorNet has that a two tier system will develop if nothing is done for existing estates to get them adopted. She proposed that RTM could be a stepping stone towards adoption of existing privately managed estates.
Other panel members supported all she had to say and more about the need for adoption and also regulation “with teeth”. Such regulation would benefit leaseholders and other groups as well.
Lord Best admitted his report of 6 years ago didn’t really have anything specific about estate management, but that it should be included now.
The CMA representative outlined their recommendations to government again, regarding more adoption and better regulation. Councillor Carys Thomas urged mandatory adoption and building estates to adoption standards in any event – no more cutting corners to increase return on the site.
The committee members (made up of MPs) indicated they hear about the problems of privately managed estates frequently – it is clear the problems are well known and that the government needs to start examining solutions at speed.
We are delighted that the idea of estate charges being a separate and different issue from leasehold matters has finally made it into parliamentary thinking. We will continue to press for the changes needed to end private management of public estates, and for regulation and redress for truly private estates.
The hearing was in two parts and it is worth listening to both as the second part had a lot more about estate charges in many ways.
Thank you very much Representatives,
Time and time again we’ve had problems selling homes awaiting severe delays and extortionate costs of sales packs.
Furthermore the mis-selling of a freehold with attached TP1/2 contracts is not a freehold by definition. This restricts a homeowner’s rights over their own home around estate planning.
Groundwork on public appliances not adopted by councils because builders adoption engineers do not apply for adoption and councils neither seek adoption leaves homeowner’s in a mess, paying over the odds without control nor rights to defend our property devaluation and our human rights.
The malpractice described above is tantamount to extortion and coercion.
There is no property law to protect freehold homeowners against estate management companies.
Barbara Sale NG250NX
Having listened to this inquiry our estate has TRUST GREEN management company and I really do hope this rip off can be stopped and those of us already scammed be helped. I wrote a few months ago to Robert Jenrick and received a good reply but still no answers from Trust Green as to where our money has been spent but thank you for all your support.