PersimmonHousebuilder and insurer agree to make payments after watchdog uncovers evidence of overcharging
Wed 23 Jun 2021 08.51 BST
Thousands of leaseholders will be refunded unfair ground rents and allowed to buy the freehold of their property at a discounted price after a crackdown on property developers by the competition watchdog.
Persimmon Homes and Aviva have agreed to offer the refunds after the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) uncovered troubling evidence that leasehold homeowners and prospective buyers were overcharged and misled by the UKs biggest housebuilders.
Aviva, an insurance group that has invested in freeholds from developers, has agreed to remove ground rent terms that are considered unfair and repay homeowners whose rents doubled.
Persimmon has agreed to offer leasehold homeowners the opportunity to buy the freehold of their property at a discounted price, and will make repayments to some homeowners who have purchased their freeholds.
The housebuilder has also agreed to extend the timeframe that prospective buyers are given to exchange contracts after reserving a property, owing to concerns that a short time limit could pressure buyers into making a purchase they would not have if given more time to consider.
The watchdogs investigation into unfair leaseholds found in October that leasehold homeowners and prospective buyers were being trapped by developers that offered misleading terms and charged excessive fees.
The CMA identified a range of abuses including homeowners having to pay escalating ground rents, which in some cases were planned to double every 10 years, leaving people struggling to sell their homes. Some prospective leasehold homebuyers had been misleadingly told it would be cheap to convert a leasehold to freehold, only to find that the cost had increased by thousands of pounds, with little or no warning.
The inquiry has focused on the UKs largest housebuilders, and investigations into Barratt, Taylor Wimpey and Countryside are ongoing. They could face legal action if they do not settle with the regulator.
Andrea Coscelli, the chief executive of the CMA, said the voluntary measures agreed by Persimmon and Aviva were a real win for thousands of leaseholders.
For too long people have found themselves trapped in homes they can struggle to sell or been faced with unexpectedly high prices to buy their freehold. Now they can breathe a sigh of relief knowing things are set to change for the better, he said.
It is good that Aviva and Persimmon have responded positively to this investigation, enabling these issues to be fixed for leaseholders. But our work isnt done. We now expect other housing developers and investors to follow the lead of Aviva and Persimmon. If not, they can expect to face legal action.
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Housebuilder and insurer agree to make payments after watchdog uncovers evidence of overcharging
