Commonhold has been talked about for years — but 2026 feels different.
With renewed political focus on leasehold reform and a growing push from consumers, lenders and developers, commonhold is back on the agenda in a meaningful way.
Why Commonhold Matters
Commonhold was created to give flat owners true ownership and more control over their buildings, by comparison to leasehold. However, the original framework wasn’t flexible enough for modern development — so uptake stalled.
That is now changing, following the Commonhold White Paper: “The government is determined to ensure that commonhold becomes the default tenure”. The principle being that the people who should own the buildings and control their management, are those who live in the flats and have a direct interest in their upkeep.
The Reform Push
The proposals aim to make commonhold:
- Clearer — via a single Commonhold Community Statement.
- More flexible — able to support multi‑block and mixed‑use schemes.
- Better governed — with stronger financial and management protections.
- More accessible — especially for new-build flats.
The draft Leasehold and Commonhold Reform Bill was due to be published late last year but has been delayed.
Where Are We Now? (2026 Snapshot)
The 2024 reforms focused mainly on leasehold, but commonhold remains a live policy priority. Work is underway to:
- Prepare legislation based on the updated commonhold model.
- Engage with lenders and insurers.
- Design a pathway for transitioning existing leasehold blocks.
Although the Bill has been delayed, momentum for commonhold is real.
What This Means for Stakeholders
Leaseholders: clearer ownership and more say in building management.
Developers: time to consider how commonhold could impact future schemes.
Lenders/Insurers: new standardisation may help reduce past concerns.
Managing Agents: opportunities for specialist commonhold management.
Looking Ahead
Commonhold won’t replace leasehold overnight, but the trajectory is clear. With reform moving closer, now is a good moment to be aware of what’s coming and how it could affect future projects and ownership structures.
If this is something that you need help with then please get in contact with our Property Litigation team.