Owners get right to manage flats

Flat owners in England will soon have the right to take over the management of their blocks from landlords, bringing an end to decades of abuse, it was announced today.

Laws dating back to 1925 have enabled landlords of f lats sold on long leases to control the lives of the residents, extort money from them and threaten to repossess their homes.

But after an eight-year Evening Standard campaign, new laws will come into effect at the end of next month to enable a simple majority of f lat owners to take over the landlord's powers to maintain and repair the building and to collect the service charges to pay for the upkeep.

They will be able to do this without having to prove any fault on the part of the landlord or pay compensation.

The rules were part of the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act which became law in 2002. However, some parts of it have been delayed while details were finalised. In addition to the new "right to manage", other benefits for leaseholders from 30 September include more rights against unreasonable charges levied under their lease and improvements to the way in which leasehold valuation tribunals work to address disputes between flat owners and landlords.

Housing Minister Keith Hill said: "The reforms will help prevent unreasonable and oppressive behaviour by unscrupulous landlords and provide flexibility to tackle any future forms of abuse."