Introduction to the Leasehold Campaign
Katie Kendrick, Cath Williams, and Jo Darbyshire faced tens of thousands of pounds in hidden costs as their new-build freeholds increased in value, rendering their homes unsellable. Their persistent campaign has contributed to potentially ending the longstanding leasehold system in England and Wales.
Discovery of Leasehold Issues
Nearly ten years ago, Cath Williams, a retired university lecturer from Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, received a leaflet about leasehold injustices but initially disregarded it. Had she examined it closely, she would have learned that residents on her new-build estate discovered their leaseholds had been sold without their knowledge, potentially costing them thousands of pounds.
“Sometimes you get things through the door and you go, ‘what are they on about?’”
Williams had not realized her home was leasehold when purchasing it. The term was absent from promotional materials and only added in pencil to her paperwork by an estate agent four weeks before moving in, after she had paid her deposit, making withdrawal impossible. Over time, she understood the implications: permission fees for alterations would increase, property value would decline as the lease shortened, and ground rent could rise significantly, potentially trapping her in an unsellable home.
She was initially told she could buy her lease for about £2,000 after two years, becoming the freeholder. However, when attempting to do so, the price had risen to £11,500.
“I was mis-sold, in my opinion, because it just wasn’t explained at all. And it was just so unfair,”
Williams said.
“That’s when I decided I had to speak out.”
Campaign Formation and Progress
Nine years later, Williams, alongside Katie Kendrick, a 46-year-old paediatric nurse, and Jo Darbyshire, a 56-year-old business director, have driven the most significant reform of the centuries-old leasehold system. Their efforts have revealed the system’s injustices. In recognition, they were awarded OBEs by King Charles last year and frequently engage with parliamentarians, representing the 34,000-strong National Leasehold Campaign (NLC) they established.
Their advocacy has led to a ban on new leasehold houses and the introduction of a commonhold system for new flats, allowing buyers to own their freehold and collectively manage the building with neighbors.
“It is amazing to think we’re now on our third piece of legislation and it wouldn’t have happened if us three stubborn, northern working mums hadn’t kicked off all them years ago,”
Kendrick said. Her plan for a kitchen extension triggered the campaign. Living near Williams, Kendrick’s home was also leasehold, as were all new-build homes in the northwest at the time. Using the government’s former Help to Buy scheme, she had no choice but to buy a new-build.
Leasehold rules required her to pay a £300 permission fee to apply for the extension. Within two years, the freehold was sold without her knowledge, and the permission fee increased to £3,000. The cost to buy the freehold rose 600%, from £2,000 to £14,000, prompting her realization.
“I just thought this cannot be right, how is this allowed?”
Kendrick created a Facebook group for Ellesmere Port residents and distributed leaflets, including the one that reached Williams. The group rapidly expanded nationally, as an estimated 100,000 homeowners were trapped by leasehold.
Extortionate Charges and Growing Awareness
Many leaseholders faced exorbitant ground rents—annual fees paid to freeholders for the land beneath their homes, often criticized as payments for no service. Jo Darbyshire, living in Bolton, experienced a freehold purchase price increase from £5,000 to £40,000, with ground rent doubling every ten years.
“The developers just got really greedy – it was outrageous and it got a lot of traction in the press,”
Kendrick said.
“We opened up Pandora’s box because then Grenfell happened, so there was the fallout from that and who pays for the building safety stuff – more and more leaseholders were realising, ‘oh my God, this impacts us’. Even now, every single day, more people are joining the NLC because it’s often not until people come to sell that they realise the issues.”
The campaigners organized mass email campaigns to MPs and a major demonstration outside parliament, featuring an open-top London bus with slogans such as “Re-Lease Me!” and “Leasehold is NOT home ownership.”
Political Momentum and Legislative Changes
In 2018, a select committee inquiry received a record number of responses—over 6,000. Political momentum culminated in 2022 with the Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Act, which ended ground rents for most new residential leasehold properties in England and Wales.
“I actually sat there and thought, no one else will have to go through what I’ve been through. And we made that happen,”
Darbyshire said.
“That was quite a moment for me. That was the point where I thought: oh, we can do this.”
Since then, reforms have accelerated. In 2023, Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook pledged to abolish the “feudal” leasehold system in England and Wales before the parliament’s end and to make all new flats commonhold.
The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act passed in 2024, extending the standard lease extension term to 990 years, removing the two-year ownership requirement for lease extension or freehold purchase, abolishing “marriage value” fees, and standardizing service charge formats from management companies.
In January 2026, the draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill was introduced, aiming to ban new leasehold flat sales and cap ground rents on existing leases at £250 annually, reducing to zero after 40 years.
Opposition and Ongoing Challenges
These reforms face strong resistance from freeholders, who have initiated legal challenges, arguing that ground rent caps devalue assets and risk insolvency. They also claimed abolishing marriage value violated their rights under the European Convention on Human Rights; however, the High Court dismissed this case.
Campaigners argue the reforms do not sufficiently assist current leaseholders, as the 2024 Act has not yet been fully enacted.
“Currently, nothing has changed for existing leaseholders. We have had all the headlines and all the ‘we’re going to do this, we’re going to do that,’”
Kendrick said.
“But actually on this day, nothing has changed for those currently trapped in it. Everything is looking to the future.”
Personal Impact and Continuing Commitment
All three women have purchased the freeholds of their properties, escaping the financial difficulties that initiated their campaign, yet they remain committed to the cause.
“We’re going to see this through to the end, there’s too many people out there who need help,”
Kendrick said.
“Some people are in a really, really dire situation. There have been times when people have contacted me because they’ve wanted to take their own lives and I’ve had to spend hours on the telephone to them.”
A recent survey of 2,362 leaseholders found 41% had experienced suicidal thoughts, and one in five had considered self-harm.
“I know it’s dramatic, but people are dying, either through stress-related illness related to leasehold or by suicide,”
Williams said.
Current Leasehold Landscape
The proportion of new-build houses sold as leasehold has decreased from a peak of 15% in 2016 to 3% in 2023. Leasehold flats, with their high service charges and poorly managed companies, remain a significant concern.
FirstPort, one of Britain’s largest property managers, has faced criticism for high service charges, slow repairs, and aggressive debt collection. In Manchester, MPs raised cases where flats became uninhabitable due to unresolved roof repairs despite residents incurring substantial legal fees. FirstPort stated it has invested in improving systems, customer service, and training over the past year.
Nationwide, leaseholders have struggled to meet payments, sometimes taking extra jobs or loans, only to find their properties unsellable. In 2023, the average service charge for a leasehold flat in England and Wales rose 11% to £2,300.
Some management companies increase fees without providing services, while others issue large bills for major works that take years to complete, leaving homeowners trapped.
“I’m not convinced that even from a legislative point of view we’ve grappled with this yet,”
Darbyshire said.
“Basically, all the legislation does now means there’s transparency about the fact you’re being ripped off by service charges.”
Personal Sacrifices and Team Dynamics
The campaign has taken a personal toll on the women, requiring time away from family. Kendrick’s son, now 14, has known her primarily through her leasehold activism.
“My son is 14, so for the whole of his life, all he’s known is mum’s doing leasehold stuff,”
Kendrick said.
“I remember when he was a toddler in the car, the George Michael song Freedom came on, and he said ‘Mummy, are they saying freehold?’ I thought oh my god, I’ve brainwashed my child.”
The trio have developed a strong friendship, with complementary personalities and skills.
“I’m the more impulsive, heart-on-the-sleeve person,”
Kendrick said.
“Jo doesn’t say a lot, but when she does, she’s a ninja, she’s lethal.”
Future Outlook
Their focus is now on ensuring leasehold reforms are enacted before the next general election, which could disrupt progress. Pennycook has indicated the timeline may extend to 2028 to avoid housing supply and legal issues.
“We’ve had about 15 housing ministers since we’ve been doing this. It’s like a revolving door,”
Kendrick said.
“It’s been such hard work just to keep morale up because everyone’s like, oh, we have to start all over again. We can’t let that happen.”
