Home owners miss common touch as Bill glossed over

Conveyancing solicitors last week expressed disappointment at the slow progress being made through Parliament by the draft commonhold and leasehold reform Bill.

The Bill was included in the Queen's Speech, but instead of promising legislation, it merely said that 'progress was being made'.

The Bill would introduce commonhold as a new form of ownership where each unit owner would enter into a 'commonhold association' to manage the common parts.

John Spencer-Silver, a solicitor at London firm Rooks Rider, which is a member of the Leasehold Advisory Group, said: 'It's slightly ominous that something more concrete wasn't said in the speech.' A Law Society spokesman said he was also 'disappointed' that more progress was not being made.

However, he added that 'more discussion' was needed on the detailed aspects of the draft.Victoria MacCallum