Commonhold Law and Commonhold Leases

About this event

This series of talks and workshops are to develop emerging research on the topic of cultural commons and how their deployment and development can address social and planetary justice.

Commonhold Law and Commonhold Leases

Wednesday 14 July 2021, 5pm to 6.30pm

Commonhold is a form of ownership (or tenure) for multi-occupancy developments. Each unit-holder owns the freehold of their home, and a commonhold or residents' association owns and manages the common parts of the property. The Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom built on common hold law. It introduced commonhold, a new way of owning land similar to the Australian strata title or the American condominium, into English and Welsh law. Commonholds were introduced to deal with the perceived unfairness of the existing leasehold system. Commonhold ownership has not become popular, and in 2018 the Law Commission launched a consultation into ways to expand usage of commonhold estates. Mari Knowles a commonhold lease expert will briefly introduce the law and commonhold lease before a discussion chaired by Torange Khonsari.

Mari Knowles is a landlord and tenant lawyer, with experience in residential and commercial conveyancing, complex enfranchisement transactions and in landlord and tenant litigation. She recently worked for the Law Commission as a leasehold reform lawyer, and is currently working part-time for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government advising on all aspects of commonhold and leasehold reform. She has provided a pro bono service for leaseholders in need of advice, working closely with various leasehold charities over the years.