The British's dream of property rights was shattered – and the government was to blame
"An old housing system," Robert Jenrick said in his harsh assault on the right to rental products, "is an affront to the British dream of owning a home and a symbol of British extortion." ”
But he seems to have missed the fundamental point that no one has a better chance of changing the nightmarish outlook for owners of 5 million leasehold properties in the Commonwealth of England and Wales than the ruling Conservatives. The Conservatives have ensured that this will never change through the watered-down "reforms" of Housing Secretary Michael Gove.
More than a decade of leasehold shows the true depth of human beings making money lying down. Perhaps there are benevolent freehold holders (landlords) and property management – as a financial advisor with 23 properties I recently interviewed painstakingly pointed out.
But a lot of people got the end result out of it, and they squeezed every resident who mistakenly thought they really owned their own property.
It's no wonder that Hampton research shows that property management fees in the UK have doubled in the last five years alone. £114 was charged for CCTV callouts, £360 for doormats, more than £22,000 for exterior paints, and independent contractors quoted only a third of what the property management office quoted. For any fee, a 15% management fee is attached to a property in the UK.
The government seemed to recognise the magnitude of the problem in its 2019 manifesto, promising to stop selling new leasehold properties, introduce nominal or "pepper" ground rents, and, according to Jenrick (then Housing Secretary), end leasehold rights to homes and apartments once and for all. Five years later, after Michael Gove kept (very) loudly announcing his plans to overthrow the "feudal property system", the British government is currently considering a weak bill that has paid very little attention to change.
The bill, which is currently before the House of Lords, proposes to increase transparency in strata fees, prohibit new leasehold properties (except apartments) and ensure that landlords do not bear unfair legal costs, and the proposed policy of reducing ground rents appears to have been abandoned by the government.
Not only do these commitments not have any clear timetable, but there is also no road map on how they will be implemented. Currently, the only recourse for owners of leasehold titles against unscrupulous property management is through the courts, which is at best a broken system to deal with a broken system.
Some property management companies take to court every month to pay senior attorneys with fictitious service fee rents, and their threatening letters are in many cases direct, but the lies often scare landlords into taking action.
For a party so concerned with individual responsibility, there is a mysterious lack of such responsibility in terms of the approach to leasehold reform.
For former Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher of the Iron Lady, Jenrick noted, "there is no word in our history to be more proud of than a freelancer" – but the past few years have only highlighted how far that mentality is from the current government. Lamenting the injustice of these "local scoundrels", while knowing that the party's plan will only be inaction, and it will make matters worse.
According to the British Foreign Office, travel restrictions have been imposed in eight new countries
The British government has warned British tourists to stay away from these eight countries
The UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) issues advisory notices of advice for holiday, business travellers and all other types of transit travellers. The organisation regularly updates its advice on British travellers travelling overseas, issuing advice based on their perception of the danger of a country and what to look out for when transiting through them.
In total, the FCDO has declared 66 countries (or some parts of a country) risks to British tourists. Syria, Russia, Lebanon, and 63 other countries are considered unsafe, according to current reports.
Recently, the FCDO added eight more countries to the list – Russia, Ukraine, Iran, Sudan, Lebanon, Israel, Belarus and Palestine. Experts from the British Foreign Office classify these countries as "red lists" or "black lists".
Although the FCDO does not prohibit British citizens from traveling to these countries, if they choose to travel to these countries despite warnings, they will not receive any government help if something goes wrong. Recommendations vary slightly for each country, but it comes down to the same warning – there may not be assistance for British travellers.
For example, the FCDO wrote in a tourist warning to Belarus: "Russia is conducting a military operation on the territory of Belarus. A direct conflict related to the war in Ukraine could spill over into Belarus. If the conflict starts, the FCDO's ability to provide consular assistance will be affected. Flights will be severely restricted. ”
This travel guide comes at a time when many Brits are preparing for their spring and summer holidays. The office strongly advises against travel to the 24 "blacklisted" destinations, or all travel except necessary.
These countries are: Afghanistan, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Niger, North Korea, Palestinian Territories, Russia, Somalia, Somaliland, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, Venezuela and Yemen.
In addition, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs advises against travel to the 42 "red list" countries, or all but essential travel, which tend to focus more on a specific region or territory than on the country as a whole.
They are: Algeria, Angola, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Ecuador, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Côte d'Ivoire, Jordan, Kenya, Kosovo, Laos, Malaysia, Mauritania, Mexico, Moldova, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan and Papua New Guinea.
On its website, the UK Foreign Office advises: "Get advice on travelling abroad, including up-to-date information on coronavirus, personal safety and security, entry requirements and travel warnings." Purchase the appropriate travel insurance immediately after booking. Check to see if it covers the destination of the trip, and the distance you will reach, the length of your stay, and any planned activities, such as adventure sports. Clearly inform the travel insurance company of any medical conditions, including undiagnosed conditions that are being investigated, and check to see if the policy covers them. ”
EU commissioner says "Gibraltar belongs to Spain" and declares that "things have gotten better here since Brexit"
Spain's foreign minister condemned the remarks made by an EU official who, while negotiating with Britain for regional control of Gibraltar, jokingly said that Gibraltar was Spanish.
José Manuel Álvarez called the remarks made by European Commission Vice-President Margaritis Sinas at a press conference in Seville yesterday "very inappropriate and incomprehensible".
During the meeting, in response to a question about the future control of Gibraltar, Shinas said: "After Brexit, I can say more easily that Gibraltar belongs to Spain. ”
Since Britain's exit from the European Union, Britain has been negotiating de facto control of this overseas territory, which has a land border with Spain. Recently, however, discussions have reached an impasse, as the Spanish authorities insist that the UK relinquish its jurisdiction over the Gibraltar airport, located at the RAF base, in order to reach an agreement.
There are also tensions over the role of the Spanish police on the ground.
The Governor of Gibraltar, Vice Admiral Sir David Steele, said that we had agreed on a package that would mean that Frontex (the EU border agency) would manage the border on behalf of the EU under the supervision of Spanish officials. 'Supervision' must ensure that it does not extend to territorial sovereignty and that it does not go beyond what is acceptable to us in terms of jurisdiction and control."
Spain, on the other hand, accused Britain of "quibbling" over small details, saying that Britain's approach was "small and big".
Albarez and the European Commission's vice-president, Maros Sevkovic, who is in charge of the Gibraltar negotiations, responded with a joint statement criticizing Shinas's remarks.
"Negotiations between the EU and the UK on Gibraltar are progressing as planned," they said. ”
Speaking on Spanish national broadcaster RTVE on Thursday night, Álvarez said: "I have spoken with Commissioner Shinas about these statements he has made, which seems very unfortunate and incomprehensible to me, because Commissioner Shinas is not at all involved in the dossier on the Brexit agreement. ”
He added that Shinas "told me that it was not his intention, that he regretted it, that he did not have all the information, and basically, he apologized for it." ”
British Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron is expected to continue talks next week in Brussels with Albarez and Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo.
In theory, Gibraltar – with a population of over 32,000 people – is not currently part of the EU Customs Union and is not subject to the rules on the free movement of trade.
However, Madrid has granted temporary exemptions to employees and tourists to avoid disturbance to the narrow peninsula off the southern coast of Spain, leaving the overseas territory in a state of instability since Brexit.
Spain can revoke this interim agreement at any time, so negotiations are working to reach an agreement on joint travel between Gibraltar and the EU's Schengen Area, which would remove most border controls.