Leasehold

Part of 3. Topical Questions – in the Senedd at 3:26 pm on 7 March 2018.

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Photo of Bethan Sayed Bethan Sayed Plaid Cymru 3:26, 7 March 2018

I'd like to thank David Melding for bringing this question forward because I think it would have merited having an oral statement from the Minister on this. But in your statement, you wrote that the five developers with which you have agreements would only build leasehold under circumstances judged by you to be absolutely necessary. I was wondering if you could clarify what you and these developers would define as absolutely necessary.

My second point only goes to reiterate what David Melding AM also said. Help to Buy is only one small part of the market, and we want to be assured that those who are already stuck in this particular circumstance will be given the same rights as those under the Help to Buy scheme.

The following point I wanted to make, emanating from what was said yesterday, I think, by Hefin David, was: I think it's a ticking time bomb in relation to the management fees that are imposed in relation to leaseholds. Many people have contacted me saying that they feel that there is a two-tier system in place, whereby they are paying management fees to do the same thing that they are paying their council tax to do, in relation to the management of gardens or the picking up of rubbish. So, I would wish for you to look at this, at a later date, as well as enhancing upon the statement that you've already made.