I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 22 June 2026 (HCWS132) and the answer given to Question UIN 4726 on 8 June 2026.

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 22 June 2026 (HCWS132) and the answer given to Question UIN 4726 on 8 June 2026.

My Department publishes a release entitled ‘Leasehold Dwellings’ which includes statistics on the number of leasehold dwellings in England by tenure, dwelling type, and region.

Statistics from 2024-25 can be found on gov.uk here. Annex table 2.4 shows that in 2024-25 there were 750,000 owner occupier leasehold households where the household reference person was aged 65 or over, the closest age group for which data is available.

My Department publishes a release entitled ‘Leasehold Dwellings’ which includes statistics on the number of leasehold dwellings in England by tenure, dwelling type, and region.

Statistics from 2024-25 can be found on gov.uk here. Section 4 shows that in 2024–25 there were 1.44 million leasehold dwellings in London.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 127019 on 21 April 2026

Ten major mortgage lenders have signed the updated joint statement on cladding, confirming they will consider lending on properties in buildings 11 metres and above, where the building is in a remediation scheme or the property is protected by the leaseholder protections in the Building Safety Act and the leaseholder has completed a ‘Leaseholder Deed of Certificate’ to evidence it. Officials in my department engage with lenders individually should we receive evidence to suggest a signatory is not upholding the statement. The Government does not collect data on the number of shared owners impacted by building safety issues who have difficulty selling or remortgaging their properties.

The leaseholder protections give greater protection from costs to shared ownership leases. Specifically, holders of qualifying leases which were shared ownership leases as of 14 February 2022 have lower maximum contribution caps, proportional to their share of ownership of the property on that date. Government is not currently considering expanding the leaseholder protections further. The Leaseholder Protections balance the rights of leaseholders with those of those freeholders not connected with the developer who were equally innocent in the creation of the emerging defects.

Ten major mortgage lenders have signed the updated joint statement on cladding, confirming they will consider lending on properties in buildings 11 metres and above, where the building is in a remediation scheme or the property is protected by the leaseholder protections in the Building Safety Act and the leaseholder has completed a ‘Leaseholder Deed of Certificate’ to evidence it. Officials in my department engage with lenders individually should we receive evidence to suggest a signatory is not upholding the statement. The Government does not collect data on the number of shared owners impacted by building safety issues who have difficulty selling or remortgaging their properties.

The leaseholder protections give greater protection from costs to shared ownership leases. Specifically, holders of qualifying leases which were shared ownership leases as of 14 February 2022 have lower maximum contribution caps, proportional to their share of ownership of the property on that date. Government is not currently considering expanding the leaseholder protections further. The Leaseholder Protections balance the rights of leaseholders with those of those freeholders not connected with the developer who were equally innocent in the creation of the emerging defects.

Ten major mortgage lenders have signed the updated joint statement on cladding, confirming they will consider lending on properties in buildings 11 metres and above, where the building is in a remediation scheme or the property is protected by the leaseholder protections in the Building Safety Act and the leaseholder has completed a ‘Leaseholder Deed of Certificate’ to evidence it. Officials in my department engage with lenders individually should we receive evidence to suggest a signatory is not upholding the statement. The Government does not collect data on the number of shared owners impacted by building safety issues who have difficulty selling or remortgaging their properties.

The leaseholder protections give greater protection from costs to shared ownership leases. Specifically, holders of qualifying leases which were shared ownership leases as of 14 February 2022 have lower maximum contribution caps, proportional to their share of ownership of the property on that date. Government is not currently considering expanding the leaseholder protections further. The Leaseholder Protections balance the rights of leaseholders with those of those freeholders not connected with the developer who were equally innocent in the creation of the emerging defects.

I thank my hon. Friend for raising this important issue. We are taking serious action to deliver the homes that the country needs, and to provide homeowners with greater rights, powers and protections. We will publish the draft Bill as soon as possible, and I will update the House. More protections are already coming this year, of course, because we passed the Renters’ Rights Bill, which provides stronger protection for 9 million renters and abolishes no-fault evictions. That is the change we are delivering, and who voted against it? The Tories and Reform.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government does not gather data on the number of leasehold properties which contain Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC). However, our current assessment is that prevalence of RAAC is low in housing.

All building owners should continue to manage building safety and performance risks of all kinds in their buildings, including RAAC, in a proportionate, risk-based, and evidence-based manner. To do so, they should continue to follow guidance published by the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) to identify, assess, and manage issues relating to RAAC.

We are due to bring forward further leasehold reforms later in this Parliament and will set out further details in due course.

Individual building owners and managers continue to be responsible for health and safety, including responding to safety alerts such as RAAC.

Building owners must address safety risks of all kinds in their buildings through a risk-based, proportionate and evidence-based approach. On the 1 May 2019, the Standing Committee on Structural Safety issued a safety alert on the failure of RAAC planks. Local authorities, like other building owners, are advised to follow available professional guidance.

The Local Government Association has advised members to check whether any buildings in their estates have RAAC, to ensure it can be identified, assessed, and responded to accordingly. This is accessible on the LGA website and in line with the guidance from the Institution of Structural Engineers. If further buildings are identified as having suspected or confirmed RAAC, building owners and managers should follow the guidance to put appropriate mitigation in place.

The pricing and availability of mortgages is a commercial decision for lenders in which the Government does not intervene.

However, we recognise this will be a concerning time for all households with a mortgage, including those with leasehold properties and in shared ownership accommodation. If mortgage holders do fall into financial difficulty, Financial Conduct Authority guidance requires firms to offer tailored support. This could include a range of measures depending on individual circumstances.

The Government have also taken a number of measures aimed at helping people to avoid repossession, including Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) loans for those in receipt of an income-related benefit, and protection in the courts through the Pre-Action Protocol, which makes it clear that repossession must always be the last resort for lenders.

The Government also recognises the challenges facing households due to elevated costs of living, so has taken action at Spring Budget 2023 to go further to protect struggling families. Taken together, support to households to help with higher bills is worth £94 billion, or £3,300 per household on average, across 2022-23 and 2023-24 – one of the largest in Europe. The government’s successful economic strategy will provide further help. The Bank of England forecast that inflation will fall to 5.1% by the end of 2023, before falling close to target by the end of 2024.

The Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA) September 2022 report on insurance for multi-occupancy buildings confirmed that premiums have increased, on average, by 125% for the total population of multi-occupancy buildings from 2016-21.

The FCA review also found that the number of insurers prepared to underwrite buildings insurance for multi-occupancy buildings has fallen in recent years. The FCA highlighted that the remaining insurers may have limited competitive incentives, possibly resulting in higher prices for customers. Issues regarding competition in the insurance sector should be reported to the FCA and Competition and Markets Authority.

The Government is taking steps to ensure leaseholder insurance costs are fairer, and more transparent.

The insurance industry is working on a potential scheme to bring down the most extreme premium increases in buildings with identified fire safety issues later this summer, which the Government is monitoring closely.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN 172424 on 29 March 2023.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answers I gave to Questions UIN 163922 and UIN 163923 on 21 March 2023. I also refer the Hon. Member to the oral statement on 14 March 2023 and to my oral answer on 27 March 2023 (Official Report, HC, Volume 730, Column 646).

The Government has retrospectively extended the limitation period under Section 1 of the Defective Premises Act 1972 enabling legal action against developers and contractors where works completed in the last 30 years made a dwelling not 'fit for habitation'. It also enables parties to bring civil claims against manufacturers of defective or mis-sold products or if there is a breach of regulations, where these products have caused or contributed to a dwelling being 'not fit for habitation'.

Any leaseholders concerned about works being proposed in their building can seek free information and advice from The Leasehold Advisory Service, funded by the department.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answers I gave to Questions UIN 163922 and UIN 163923 on 21 March 2023. I also refer the Hon. Member to the oral statement on 14 March 2023 and to my oral answer on 27 March 2023 (Official Report, HC, Volume 730, Column 646).

The Government has retrospectively extended the limitation period under Section 1 of the Defective Premises Act 1972 enabling legal action against developers and contractors where works completed in the last 30 years made a dwelling not 'fit for habitation'. It also enables parties to bring civil claims against manufacturers of defective or mis-sold products or if there is a breach of regulations, where these products have caused or contributed to a dwelling being 'not fit for habitation'.

Any leaseholders concerned about works being proposed in their building can seek free information and advice from The Leasehold Advisory Service, funded by the department.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answers I gave to Questions UIN 163922 and UIN 163923 on 21 March 2023. I also refer the Hon. Member to the oral statement on 14 March 2023 and to my oral answer on 27 March 2023 (Official Report, HC, Volume 730, Column 646).

The Government has retrospectively extended the limitation period under Section 1 of the Defective Premises Act 1972 enabling legal action against developers and contractors where works completed in the last 30 years made a dwelling not 'fit for habitation'. It also enables parties to bring civil claims against manufacturers of defective or mis-sold products or if there is a breach of regulations, where these products have caused or contributed to a dwelling being 'not fit for habitation'.

Any leaseholders concerned about works being proposed in their building can seek free information and advice from The Leasehold Advisory Service, funded by the department.