Abolish Ground Rent for Existing Residential Leasehold Properties
We ask the Government to abolish ground rent for all existing residential leasehold properties in England and Wales. Ground rent is an outdated and, we believe, unfair charge that provides no service or benefit to leaseholders.
Signatures
15,489
signatures
Government response threshold (10,000) · 10,000/10,000 · reached
Debate threshold (100,000) · 15,489/100,000
- 04 MAR 2026Government respondedMinistry of Housing, Communities & Local GovernmentGovernment reply
To deliver on our manifesto commitment to “tackle unregulated and unaffordable ground rent charges”, government will cap ground rent at £250 per year, before changing to a peppercorn after 40 years.
Read full response - 13 JAN 202610,000 signatures reachedEligible for a government response
- 06 JAN 2026Petition opened for signaturesCreated by Rikesh Patel
Background
Millions of homeowners continue to pay ground rent, often under clauses that increase every 10 to 25 years, making homes harder to sell, re-mortgage, or mortgage. Although it has been abolished for most new leases, existing leaseholders remain liable, creating an unequal system where similar homeowners are treated differently solely based on when their lease began.
We believe ending ground rent could remove an unjust financial burden, improve market fairness, and support a fairer, more transparent home ownership system.