5. Member Debate under Standing Order 11.21(iv): Leasehold residential contracts

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:14 pm on 31 January 2018.

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Photo of David Rees David Rees Labour 4:14, 31 January 2018

I think we'll find the same message being sent across the Chamber this afternoon from Members representing constituents across Wales, because we all have similar problems. As we all know, leasehold is a form of residential tenure that, perhaps, comes back to the feudal ages, where land was seen to be the place and those who owned the land were the dominant ones, but it has actually been abolished in most places around the world and perhaps it's now time to end it here in Wales as well.

It started out as an anomaly in the north-west of England and it seemed to spread across the whole of the UK, selling houses as leaseholds. Now, let's—[Inaudible.]—leaseholds. Leaseholds actually cover more than one area. We talk about houses sometimes, but don't forget flats, and we've got new houses and we've got existing houses. So, there are combinations of leasehold, which really add to the complexities that arise. I'll talk about all three in a second.