§ 64. Sir B. Jannerasked the Minister of Land and Natural Resources whether he is aware that notices of dilapidation are being served on lessees by the lessors of properties; and if he will take steps, by legislation or otherwise, to prevent the enforcement of such notices pending the introduction of leasehold enfranchisement legislation.
§ Mr. WilleyI do not know of any increase in this practice that would at present necessitate strengthening the protection leaseholders already enjoy against the unreasonable enforcement of repairing covenants. Leaseholders should, of course, seek advice when they receive a notice of dilapidation.
§ Mr. G. Elfed Daviesasked the Minister of Land and Natural Resources (1) what, under the Government's proposals made in the White Paper on Leasehold Reform, would be the estimated enfranchisement price of a house in Rhondda without any development value, with a vacant possession value of £1,000 and with 15 years of the lease still to run;
(2) what, under the Government's proposals made in the White Paper on Leasehold Reform, would be the estimated enfranchisement price of a house in South Wales, without any development value, with a vacant possession value of £1,500 and with 30 years of the lease still to run.
§ Mr. Ness Edwardsasked the Minister of Land and Natural Resources what, under the Government's proposals made in the White Paper on Leasehold Reform, would be the estimated price of the freehold in the case of a cottage of £16 rateable value and a ground rent of £1 per annum, and an unexpired period of 20 years, without any development value, in the upper reaches of the South Wales valleys.
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§ Mr. McBrideasked the Minister of Land and Natural Resources (1) what, under the proposals set out in Command Paper No. 2916, would be the enfranchisement value estimation of a house with vacant possession value of £2,250,38 years of the lease as yet to run, a ground rent of £4 17s. 6d. per annum and no development value attached;
(2) what, under the proposals set out in Command Paper No. 2916, on Leasehold Reform, would be the enfranchisement value estimation of a house, with vacant possession valued at £2,000, with a ground rent of £3 per annum, on which the lease has expired with no development value attached but where the leaseholder is protected by the terms of the statement made on 8th December, 1964 by the Minister of Housing and Local Government;
(3) what, under the proposals set out in Command Paper No. 2916, on Leasehold Reform, would be the enfranchisement value estimation of a house with vacant possession valued at £1,500, with six years of the lease as yet to run, with a ground rent of £3 15s. per annum, and no development value attached.
Mr. Alan Williamsasked the Minister of Land and Natural Resources (1) what the enfranchisement price under the Government's proposals for leasehold reform would be in the case where there is no development value of a house in South Wales with a vacant possession value of £2,250 and with 20 years of the lease to run;
(2) what the enfranchisement price under the Government's proposals for leasehold reform would be in the case where there is no development value of a house in South Wales with a vacant possession value of £2,500 and with 30 years of the lease to run.
§ Mr. WilleyThe actual price for enfranchisement is in the first instance a matter of negotiation between the parties concerned. Any example I may quote must be treated as hypothetical and not applicable to any specific case whatever the apparent similarity, for all the relevant circumstances are most unlikely to be identical. There is a further risk in quoting numerous examples, because of the effect they may have upon individual transactions.
480WI appreciate, nevertheless, that some illustrations, although on an explicitly hypothetical basis, may be welcome, and I therefore would like to cite two, with different periods of the existing lease to run. Both relate to small houses of types found in South Wales, the first having been built in 1872 the other in 1890, on sites leased for 99 years at low ground rents, and with estimated vacant possession values of £1,500 and £2,000 respectively. In the first example the estimated price for enfranchisement would be, say, £230 and in the latter some £105.