This Tuesday (18 June), MPs on the Housing, Communities and Local Government (HCLG) Committee will hold a one-off evidence session to examine the practices of property management companies, amid growing concerns over excessive service charges, poor communication, and maintenance failures.

Witnesses include representatives from the Home Owners Rights Network (HorNet) and Martin King, Managing Director of FirstPort, one of the UK’s largest property managers. MPs will also hear evidence from Lord Best, former chair of the Regulation of Property Agents Working Group, and the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).

Key topics expected to be addressed include:

• Transparency of service charges and how funds are spent

• Legal restrictions on property title deeds

• Homeowners’ lack of control over estate management

• The issue of ‘fleecehold’ – where freeholders have fewer rights than leaseholders

• Progress on implementing the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024

The session comes amid long-standing frustrations among homeowners over opaque fee structures and limited rights to challenge poor management. The committee will meet at 10am on Tuesday 18 June, and can be seen on Parliamentary TV.