On 27 January 2026 the government published its Draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill, to make commonhold the default tenure for new flats and to create a route for existing blocks to convert more smoothly.
As the PR consultant to the Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners (ALEP), I see how reputational pressure has brought us here — and how often the public debate runs ahead of legislative detail in an alarming way.
Why 'feudal' became the shorthand
Leasehold is repeatedly branded 'feudal'. This label works because it is simple, emotive and repeatable. But it is also a metaphor, not an accurate description of a modern legal framework. Feudal tenure was abolished centuries ago in the Tenures Abolition Act 1660.
Leasehold, by contrast, sits within contemporary commercial law. It is contractual and mortgageable. Unlike feudal obligations, it is entered into voluntarily and can be exited by sale. Many blocks are well run. But reputations are not built on legal history — they are built on clear, compelling communications.
The reputational issues leasehold cannot ignore
Much as I would like my own work in this area to be considered compelling, I have to admit that those who are opposed to leasehold have the communications advantage. It only takes a single scandal, even a misunderstanding, for communications to become unbalanced. Individual, often one-off negative experiences, often referred to (again, compellingly) as 'fleecehold' can have much more power than a year's worth of press releases.
Commonhold is not a communications quick fix
The draft bill is, in part, a response to those public concerns. But commonhold brings its own narrative risk: overselling simplicity. Commonhold has been on the statute books since 2004 and yet there are fewer than 20 commonhold developments today.
Operationally, it asks more of flat owners and of the professionals supporting them, from governance to enforcement and, in some buildings, the demands of the Building Safety Act regime. That is why ALEP members argue for reform that is workable, evidence-based and shaped with the practitioners who will have to run it day to day.
Recommendations for effective communications during reform
In the interests of fairness and accuracy, I call on the government to abandon its frequent use of the term 'feudal'. It may win clicks, but it is wholly inaccurate, and as such a poor foundation for market confidence.
Instead, we need to have a well-informed and clear discussion about future options. Communications must be clear on who controls decisions, how costs are set, what protections exist and how disputes are resolved in the case of both leasehold and commonhold, and the relative merits of both.
It may be complicated, but the element of choice cannot be between today's law and a depiction of utopia. There are already changes underway via the (only partially implemented) Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 and the situation as far as leasehold is concerned is set to improve on this basis.
Finally, we must avoid talking down existing leasehold. Millions will remain in leasehold homes for years, and careless rhetoric can harm liquidity and values while reforms are still being designed.
Leasehold reform is an ambitious and challenging programme. Communications must be clear, fair and credible, not rushed and not distorted.