§ Lord Gainfordasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have completed their consideration of the response to the consultation paper on valuation disputes under the Leasehold Reform Act 1967.
§ Lord HeskethThe Department of the Environment and the Welsh Office have now completed a full analysis of the response to the consultation paper. The consultation was undertaken in the light of suggestions that the existing statutory procedure—under which valuation disputes can be referred to the local leasehold valuation tribunal with a subsequent right of appeal to the Lands Tribunal—was in practice working to the disadvantage of leaseholders, in that some freeholders were using the threat of an appeal (and the consequent risk of substantial costs) to deter leaseholders from having recourse to the procedure. Views were sought as to whether such allegations could be substantiated and, if so, whether there was a case for withdrawing or curtailing the right of appeal.
1498WAThe consultation yielded no firm evidence that the alleged effect is occurring in practice. We have concluded, therefore, that there is at present no case for making changes to the statutory procedure. We will, however, keep matters under review and will not hesitate to take action if evidence comes to light that the procedure is failing to maintain an equitable balance between the interests of freeholders and leaseholders.