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Thank you HorNets!

This has been a long campaign and we are finally making progress. It has only been possible because YOU have kept up the pressure, writing to your MPs and engaging with government and CMA consultations. Thanks to you most MPs have heard of the problems of privately managed estates and there is pressure in parliament for change.

Halima was at Westminster on 17th June to give evidence to the MHCLG select committee on property agents and was successful in bringing the issue of adoption to the fore as well.

After the meeting she was able to network with some of the many supportive MPs from all parties. Special thanks to Charlie Dewhirst’s team for organising the get together and those MPs who were able to attend.

With MPs at Westminster
With Helen Whatley MP

From left to right: Gideon Amos MP for Taunton and Wellington, Sarah Dyke MP for Glastonbury and Somerton, Pam Cox MP for Colchester, Chris Hinchcliffe MP for North East Hertfordshire, Charlie Dewhirst MP for Bridlington and The Wolds, Alison Bennett MP for Mid Sussex, Dr Roz Savage MP for South Cotswolds
With Charlie Dewhirst MP

From left to right: Gideon Amos MP for Taunton and Wellington, Sarah Dyke MP for Glastonbury and Somerton, Pam Cox MP for Colchester, Chris Hinchcliffe MP for North East Hertfordshire, Charlie Dewhirst MP for Bridlington and The Wolds, Alison Bennett MP for Mid Sussex, Dr Roz Savage MP for South Cotswolds


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Estate Charges Exposed

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.

Audio only recording

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More Pressure on the Government to Act

On Tuesday 4h March Alistair Strathern MP introduced his Ten Minute rule bill on Housing Estates. A well informed and articulated speech which we strongly support. We thanks him for securing the time for this and note again cross party support for the bill, which will have a second reading in July. You can read the text in Hansard here or watch the video from parliament tv below:

Although ten minute rule bills (private members bills) do not usually make it into law, they are a great way to put pressure on the government and keep the issue alive.

Simply put, his bill proposes a right to manage for estate dwellers to obtain more accountability with the ability to hire and fire management agents, minimum standards for construction and timescales for adoption.


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