As one of the speakers at Trinity Chambers’ recent Housing Law Conference, specialist Housing and Property Law barrister, Alice Richardson delivered a talk entitled:
‘You’re having a LAFRA - A Guide to Shared Ownership & Leasehold Reform in 2026’.
There are an estimated 4.8 million leasehold homes in England alone, around one in five of all dwellings, and nearly all privately owned flats are leasehold. The Labour Party’s 2024 general election manifesto committed to “finally bring the feudal leasehold system to an end”. The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 (“LAFRA”) was supposed to be the vehicle for delivering on an earlier, cross-party promise to that effect, but two years after Royal Assent much of it remains uncommenced.
Meanwhile, shared ownership, a tenure that straddles the boundary between leasehold and home ownership, has been left in a particularly awkward position. Alice’s talk addresses three questions:
- Where LAFRA has actually got to;
- What shared ownership is and why it has long been a legally awkward tenure; and
- What LAFRA, and the further reform now in draft, will and will not do for shared owners.
There is a handout that accompanies the session. If you do not have a copy and would like one, please email civilclerks@trinitychambers.co.uk.
This recorded seminar and its accompanying notes are made available for educational and information purposes only. The views expressed in it are those of the speaker. The contents do not constitute legal advice and should not be relied on as such. The speaker and Trinity Chambers accept no responsibility for the continuing accuracy of the contents. Contact Trinity Chambers if you have a specific legal query.