Biggleswade MP to present petition to Prime Minister fighting for rights of homeowners on privately managed estates

Biggleswade's MP is to present a petition to the Prime Minister fighting for the rights of freehold homeowners who live on privately managed estates.

Richard Fuller, MP for North East Beds, will present the petition on October 24 – ahead of the King's Speech on November 7, which sets the government's objectives between now and the next general election.

And he said he hopes Estate Management Fees are featured ‘otherwise there is little chance of legislation being implemented in the foreseeable future’.

The petition calls for reform of freehold management charges – including the right to fair and reasonable charges and services of a reasonable standard, the right to challenge the reasonableness of the charges, the right to bring a case to the First-tier (Property Chamber) Tribunal to appoint a new management company, the introduction of a Right to Manage and the creation of a redress scheme for property management companies, with powers of sanction.

It also makes a call to ensure that the new regime applies equally to existing freehold management charges as well as prospective freehold management charges.

Mr Fuller said: "Many residents in North East Bedfordshire are being charged excessive estate manager fees, and several councillors in my constituency have all worked hard to raise the issue.

"Homeowners often feel powerless to hold these companies to account given the monopoly they enjoy in their communities."

Earlier this year the MP raised the issue when he spoke in the House of Commons during the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities question time in parliament.

He argued freehold homeowners should have the same rights as leaseholders to challenge "excessive" estate management fees, "lack of transparency", and "poor service" by estate management companies.

He added: “This is an important issue that affects many thousands of homeowners in North East Bedfordshire and indeed, across the entire country.

"Please join me in signing this petition and share on your own pages and groups so we can get the most signatures possible and send the strongest message to the Prime Minister that action needs to be taken now.”