ALT The photo is of a letter from Matthew Pennycook, Minister for Housing and Planning at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, stating they have delayed the response to our report on the draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill.

ALT "As a homeowner, my experience with the leasehold system has been nothing short of a nightmare. While purchasing a home is traditionally seen as a milestone of financial security, I have found myself trapped in a system that feels less like homeownership and more like being a source of passive income for a third party." - Anonymous, homeowner Source: Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee survey, February - March 2026.

ALT "I live to work to pay the freeholder. It's as simple as that. I don't have spare money for my children, one of whom is at university. I am 60 years old and feel like the last 20 years of my life have been lost due to the stress of being a leaseholder." - Anonymous, leaseholder Source: Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee survey, February - March 2026.

ALT What types of landlord/freeholder did respondents have? - 6482 responses - 49% Private landlord - 25% Leaseholder-owned company - 11% Housing Association or other housing provider - 3% Local Authority - 1% Not applicable - 6% Don't know - 5% Other Source: Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee survey, February - March 2026.

ALT Would a £250 cap on ground rents make your ground rent more affordable? - 6483 responses - 59% Yes - 25% No - 3% Don't know - 13% Not applicable Source: Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee survey, February - March 2026.

ALT How do survey respondents experience homeownership? - 7358 responses - 52% I am struggling to afford my service charges. - 27% I cannot sell or remortgage my property due to escalating ground rent. - 22% I'm struggling to afford my ground rent. - 21% My property is in a block with identified building safety defects. - 19% None of the above - 8% I am a shared owner. Source: Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee survey, February - March 2026.

ALT Where are respondents' properties located? - 22% Greater London - all other transport zones - 18% South East England - 15% Greater London - transport zones 1 and 2 - 12% North West England - 9% South West England - 5% Yorkshire and the Humber - 5% West Midlands - 4% North East England - 4% East of England - 3% East Midlands - 2% Wales - 0% I do not live in England or Wales Source: Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee survey, February - March 2026.

ALT Quote from Florence Eshalomi, Chair of the Housing Committee, with text 'I welcome the inclusion of the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill in the King’s Speech. Housing represents the single biggest cost for household budgets across the country, and many of the five million leaseholders across England and Wales are waiting for this legislation to cap ground rents, give homeowners control, and put an end to unreasonable fees. We are in the final stages of preparing our recommendations to the government, as part of the committee’s pre-legislative scrutiny inquiry, and we look forward to publishing our report.'

ALT Timeline showing key dates for the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill, including ministerial session, survey closure, and final bill introduction.