header-logo header-logo

10 October 2025
Issue: 8134 / Categories: Legal News , Leasehold , Property
printer mail-detail

NLJ this week: Leasehold reform in limbo

231939
Louise Uphill, senior associate at Moore Barlow LLP, dissects the faltering rollout of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 in this week's NLJ

Passed hastily in the ‘wash-up’ before the general election, LAFRA 2024 promised fairness, lower costs and 990-year leases — but one year later, confusion reigns. Survey data by the Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners, of which Uphill is a member, reveals stalled transactions, uncertain valuations, and ‘guesswork’ advice as practitioners await secondary legislation.

Central to the chaos is the unresolved abolition of marriage value, now mired in human rights challenges. Leaseholders face paralysis, unsure whether to act or wait.

Uphill urges government clarity on implementation and consultation with professionals to avoid reform fatigue. Without a clear timetable, she warns, well-meant legislation risks collapsing into contradiction—leaving leaseholders trapped between political promises and practical inaction.

Issue: 8134 / Categories: Legal News , Leasehold , Property
printer mail-details

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Bell Yard Kysen—Liz Giles

Bell Yard Kysen—Liz Giles

Bell Yard Kysen appoints senior legal PR and ex-government communications adviser, Liz Giles

Clarke Willmott—Lee Edwards

Clarke Willmott—Lee Edwards

Clarke Willmott boosts Southampton commercial property team with addition of partner Lee Edwards

Lime Solicitors—four promotions

Lime Solicitors—four promotions

Lime Solicitors announces four promotions

NEWS
The Attorney General, Ellie Reeves KC MP, and Solicitor General, Andy Slaughter KC MP, marked the 25th anniversary of Pro Bono Week by joining lawyers, charities, students and parliamentarians at events celebrating voluntary legal work
Witness evidence can be compromised by AI before a solicitor sees the draft, leaving safeguards focused on authorship incomplete
Possession claims are entering a new digital era, with procedural traps awaiting practitioners who assume familiar rules still govern every step
A polished legal defence may owe more to artificial intelligence than legal merit—and creditors risk paying the price in delay and expense
An indemnity costs battle with a £20m gap could reopen an important question: what weight should an approved budget carry?
back-to-top-scroll