Committee publication · Correspondence · 16 July 2026
Letter from the Chair to the Minister of State for Housing and Planning dated 15 July 2026 concerning restrictive covenants
Summary
Chair of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee writes to the Minister for Housing and Planning regarding unreasonable enforcement of restrictive covenants against freehold and leasehold homeowners. The committee has received representations about cases where homeowners face unexpected financial demands for retrospective consent for works undertaken years prior, citing examples involving Asset Invest Ltd and Andrew Milne. The letter seeks the Ministry's assessment of national prevalence, effectiveness of existing legislation, consideration of a statutory Right of First Refusal, and potential strengthening provisions in the forthcoming Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill.
Key findings
- Committee has received representations from parliamentarians regarding unreasonable enforcement of restrictive covenants against freehold homeowners and similar enforcement practices for leasehold covenant breaches
- Homeowners have faced unexpected large financial demands for retrospective consent for alterations (extensions, fencing, sheds) undertaken years prior, sometimes by previous owners
- Specific enforcement examples cited: Asset Invest Ltd against freehold homeowners in Bexhill, and Andrew Milne against leasehold homeowners in Sheffield
- Committee expresses concern that apparent increase in enforcement reports across different parts of England may indicate an emerging national pattern rather than isolated cases
- Letter requests Ministry assessment of national prevalence, effectiveness of existing legislation, consideration of statutory Right of First Refusal for homeowners, and potential protective provisions in the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill
Tone
CriticalTopics
Key actors
Florence Eshalomi MP, Matthew Pennycook MP, Kieran Mullan MP, Olivia Blake MP, Asset Invest Ltd, Andrew Milne, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Notable line
“Homeowners have subsequently received unexpected demands for large sums of money.”
Key Quotes
“Homeowners may have been unaware that they required consent for alterations going back years, such as extensions, fencing and sheds on their property, which may have been undertaken by previous owners.”
“We are concerned that the apparent increase in reports of unreasonable enforcement practices in different parts of England may point to an emerging national pattern, rather than a small number of isolated cases.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗