First-time Buyers

Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:01 pm on 28 November 2017.

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Photo of Carwyn Jones Carwyn Jones Labour 2:01, 28 November 2017

There's been a great deal of exploitation of leasehold where leases have come to an end. Of course, there are some areas, as my friend will know, such as apartments and flats, where leasehold tends to be something fairly normal. When it comes to houses, however, Wales has a history, where leaseholds have come to an end in the past, where people have been charged large amounts in order to buy out the land on which their houses actually sit. I think, in the future, it's hugely important that freehold is the tenancy that is normal, as far as housing is concerned. There may be examples, such as community land trusts, where that wouldn't be appropriate, just to make sure that house prices are kept down. But yes, certainly we want to do all that we can to ensure that people are not exploited when leases come to an end, quite often after a period of more than a century.