I think any property that involves a shared ownership of different parties of the freehold will be excluded. This solely relates to single-ownership new housing.

We all know that buying a property is the most significant financial decision most people will make, so it is vital that prospective purchasers understand the full implications and consequences of buying a leasehold property. So, in April last year, the all-party parliamentary group on leasehold reform called for leasehold houses to be banned, and for an end to onerous ground rents. And then, in a written statement in December 2017, the Secretary of State, Sajid Javid, announced a package of measures to crack down on unfair leasehold practices in England, including legislation banning new leaseholds. He said that

'It’s clear that far too many new houses are being built and sold as leaseholds, exploiting homebuyers with unfair agreements and spiralling ground rents. Enough is enough. These practices are unjust, unnecessary and need to stop.'

So, those are encouraging words. In Welsh Labour's 2017 manifesto, we also made our position clear that we will back those who own their homes, including leaseholders who are currently unprotected from rises in ground rents:

'A Labour Government will give leaseholders security from rip-off ground rents and end the routine use of leasehold houses in new developments.'

In 2016, leasehold transactions accounted for 22 per cent of transactions of new-build properties. Responding again in a Westminster debate, the Minister for housing then noted that

'whether Wales abolishes leasehold is a devolved matter.'

So, the power is in our hands. We have a Labour manifesto commitment to legislate, we have a Welsh Labour Government, we have general cross-party support for abolition, and whilst we cannot prevent every leasehold horror story that our constituents have to endure, we do have the competence to at least stop the problem going any larger. We have the ability to bring an end once and for all to any future uncertainty regarding leasehold houses. We can send a clear message to all developers and landowners, present and future, that leasehold tenure is no longer an acceptable housing option in Wales. We can lead the way on this issue, and also send a message to the rest of the UK—to property developers, to landowners, to all those foreign-owned companies who are considering investing in property in Wales and the UK—that leasehold for housing is a relic of the past, and by passing a simple piece of legislation, we can confine it to the dustbins of history.