LATEST: Trading Standards issues new guidance for landlords on ground rents

Trading Standards has released new guidance to help landlords and leaseholders get to grips with the Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Act.

The law – published last June – effectively put an end to ground rents for most new long residential leasehold properties in England and Wales.

National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agency Team (NTSELAT) has now created free resources in a dedicated area on its website.

As well as providing an overview and links to statutory guidance published by the government, stage one and two complaint letter templates can be downloaded when demanding a refund of any prohibited rent payment. These letters are available in both English and Welsh.

The website signposts users to The Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE) and Citizens Advice Consumer Service (CACS) if they need more advice or to make a complaint about a landlord who has demanded a prohibited rent. 

Missing forms

Investigator Cara McParland says it identified early in the project that the First Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) and Welsh Leasehold Valuation Tribunal had not published application forms for leaseholders to apply for a recovery order under section 13 of the Act.

She adds: “We are continuing to liaise with both governments and will update the consumer area of our website as soon as the forms are published.”

Trading Standards has also published new information for enforcement officers to make sure the Act is consistently enforced, including a one-minute guide to the new law and a model enforcement policy they can use and adapt.