StephenDesmond, The Conveyancers' Cheerleader

The cladding bill for leaseholders: £10bn-£50bn The cladding tax: £200m per year over 10yrs Persimmon made £783.8m in pretax profits last year. Barratt Homes £812.2m, Berkeley £518.1m, Taylor Wimpey £264.4m, Bellway £236.7m, Vistry £98.7m Outrageous! a.msn.com/00/en-gb/AAPP5…

@RobertJenrick @Keir_Starmer A claim repeated here. As a Solicitor myself (albeit non-practising) this is simply unacceptable. lawcareerplus.com/jonathan-reyno… @ArchRose90

Reynolds was never a solicitor. Like the Chancellor, the Business Secretary fabricated his CV. Under s17 of the Legal Services Act 2007, pretending to be a solicitor is a criminal offence. He’s bang to rights. Over to you, @Keir_Starmer

@GuidoFawkes A claim repeated here lawcareerplus.com/jonathan-reyno…

Business Secretary’s LinkedIn Edited to Remove ‘Solicitor’ Experience order-order.com/2025/02/18/bus…

@RuthySmithy10 The new government has pledged to address the issue of existing ground rents, without being specific about their preferred reform option.

@stephenjdesmond Sadly will make no difference to leaseholders trapped and unable up sell due to ground rent.

The moment that confirmed the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 will become law. Whatever its shortcomings, this legislation is one of the most important Acts in the history of property law. And I would also like to thank the leasehold campaigners that made this possible.

@StemShow There are no ground rent caps tor existing leaseholders in the Act.

@stephenjdesmond Does this mean ground rent is capped? For all leaseholders? Including shared ownership? Does anyone know?

The most moving moment of the HL debate on the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill. Baroness Fox pays tribute to heroic leasehold campaigners, without whom none of these reforms would have happened.

@philc_99 I believe so but deferment and capitalisation rates are for a future government.

@stephenjdesmond Did abolition of marriage value make it to the Act?

@jazztensax Conveyancing is a high risk area of practice and made more so by the BSA fiasco. I have run CPD courses for the past 20 years and so know many property lawyers. They will not be queuing up to take an unfamiliar complex tenure (and I have read the Law Com report on Commonhold).

The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill has passed but it will only provide limited relief to leaseholders. This parliament ends with the Tories having failed to enact bold leasehold reform. Labour will finally bring the archaic and iniquitous leasehold system to an end.

@CommonsLUHC @HomeOwnersAll @OpenPropData @RICSnews @PropertymarkUK @CAtradebody As I understand things, not a single practising residential Conveyancer has been called to give evidence. And they are the professionals who have a crucial role in the Conveyancing process. This inquiry is deeply flawed.

Next week, we'll begin our inquiry on improving the home buying and selling process by hearing from: ⦿ The Home Buying & Selling Group ⦿ @HomeOwnersAll ⦿ @OpenPropData ⦿ @RICSNews ⦿ @PropertymarkUK ⦿ @CATradeBody Find out more 👉 committees.parliament.uk/event/21505/fo…

@easycouncil That's probably a question for a specialist surveyor.

@stephenjdesmond Does this have any impact on marriage value? Or is that something different.

Leasehold Reform: Lease Extensions and Building Safety Act — Hot off the Press MPs have just agreed (without a vote) an amendment to the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, so that “a connected replacement lease” is now a “qualifying lease”.

These amendments are to be treated as having come into force on 28 June 2022. For further details, see amendments (a) to (d) which replaced the Lords Amendments 242, 243 and 288.

A CRL includes a surrender and regrant where the new demise consists of (i)  some or all of the “already let” property, together with other property, or (ii)  some, but not all, of the already let property (but no other property) (a “property reduction”).

@polluterpaysbsb @DgLimited @drfsawtell @ahillslegal @ZahrahAullyboc2 @BSBcampaigner @davidhencke @veetmaya @mtpennycook @MikeAmesburyMP @libdemdaisy @dannybster @meena77531087 @michaelgove @Helen_NW1 Geeat work all! It is also disappointing that Lord Young of Cookham was the only Conservative peer who voted for amendment 282C to the Levelling Up Bill (carry-over of protections on extensions of qualifying leases).

A message to all 51,000 of you pioneers who believe in full protection for leaseholders.. Thank you to @DgLimited, @drfsawtell, @ahillslegal, @ZahrahAullyboc2, @stephenjdesmond, the Earl of Lytton and all our supporters. This fight is not over. The campaign to protect everyone continues... #EndOurCladdingScandal #BuildingSafetyCrisis @TedBaillieu @AngelaRayner

🏡#Leaseholds are a complex and high-risk area of practice... 📲Please scan the QR code in the image below or click on the link to book your place: bit.ly/RegisterLeaseh… #conveyancing #conveyancers

Reserve your place at our latest Seminar, with our guest speaker @stephenjdesmond 24th October, Swansea City Stadium @xpresslegal #training #conveyancing #CPD #Cardiff #Southwales #solicitors rb.gy/0jioi

While noting @mtpennycook's criticisms of the govt, I wonder: will Labour commit to removing the distinction between leaseholders who have many protections and others with practically none, so ALL leaseholders are shielded from the costs of historical building safety defects?

Last few places available on our #conveyancing #CPD training seminar in #Kent. Book your place here: eventbrite.com/e/hot-topics-i… #thelegalhour #conveyancers #training