Your community, your updates
Welcome to the heart of Sittingbourne & Sheppey Residents Association. This is where you'll find the latest news, essential information, and upcoming events designed to keep you connected and empowered. We believe that an informed community is a strong community, and this page is dedicated to ensuring your voice is heard and your participation is valued.
Our Next Meeting
We’re holding our next Sittingbourne & Sheppey Residents Association (SSRA) meeting and you’re invited.
This is your opportunity to raise local concerns, hear updates on ongoing issues, and find out what action is being taken on behalf of residents. Whether it’s estate charges, planning matters, local services or wider community concerns — your voice matters.
Everyone is welcome.
If you care about our area, we’d love to see you there.
📍 Location: Castle Connections, Queenborough, ME11 5AY
📅 Date: Friday 12th June 2026
⏰ Time: 19:00
If you can’t attend but have something you’d like raised, please get in touch via our contact form.
Together, we’re stronger — and better informed.
HAVE YOUR SAY ON LEASEHOLD & ESTATE CHARGES REFORM
Many of you recently signed the petition calling for a properly funded third-party regulator for service charge disputes.
Now we have an important opportunity to influence real legislation.
MPs on the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee are currently scrutinising the draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill — and they are actively asking for evidence from:
- Leaseholders
- Freeholders on estates with private estate charges
In other words — people like us.
This is not a generic consultation. This is pre-legislative scrutiny, meaning MPs can still recommend changes before the Bill becomes law.
If you live on a private estate, pay estate management charges, or have experienced issues with service charges, this is your chance to directly inform Parliament’s recommendations.
Deadline: 31st March 2026
The Committee’s final report will summarise responses and the Government must formally respond to it.
If we want:
- Stronger regulation
- Fairer service charge dispute resolution
- Proper oversight of managing agents
- Real protections for homeowners on private estates
…then we need to make sure our voices are heard.
Please take a few minutes to complete the survey here:
This is exactly the kind of change SSRA has been campaigning for. The more of our members who respond, the stronger the message. Let’s not miss this opportunity.
Leasehold Reform in England & Wales – What SSRA Supports (and What Still Needs Fixing)
The UK Government has set out proposals to reform the leasehold system in England and Wales. The aim is to move away from what many campaigners describe as an outdated and unfair system where homeowners do not fully own the buildings they live in.
The proposals include measures such as capping ground rents, banning new leasehold flats, and encouraging the move to commonhold ownership. While these reforms are a step in the right direction, they do not yet go far enough to address the issues many residents face today.
Below is our summary of what we welcome and what still needs improvement.
What SSRA Supports
Ending new leasehold flats
The proposed reforms would ban most new flats being sold as leasehold, with commonhold becoming the default system instead.
Commonhold allows flat owners to own their property outright and collectively manage the building, removing the need for a separate freeholder.
SSRA supports this change. The leasehold system has long allowed third-party freeholders to profit from homes they do not live in, often with little accountability to residents.
Capping ground rents
The government has proposed capping ground rents at £250 per year, reducing to a peppercorn (effectively zero) after 40 years.
This would provide relief for many leaseholders currently paying escalating ground rents written into historic leases.
SSRA supports the principle of limiting these charges, as ground rent often provides no service or benefit to residents.
Ending forfeiture
Current leasehold law allows a freeholder to ultimately forfeit a lease (take the home back) if charges remain unpaid.
The proposed reforms would abolish forfeiture and replace it with a fairer enforcement system.
SSRA strongly supports this change. Losing a home over relatively small debts is widely seen as disproportionate.
Greater regulation of managing agents
The government is also consulting on introducing mandatory qualifications for property managing agents.
For many residents, the managing agent – rather than the freeholder – is the source of the day-to-day problems around service charges, maintenance, and accountability.
Professional standards and stronger regulation are essential.
We completley support this, however we would also like to see a regulatory body for managing agents with proper powers to act if managing agents fall short in providing services to residents.
Where SSRA Believes Reform Falls Short
Existing leaseholders are still trapped
While new developments may move to commonhold, most existing leaseholders will remain in the leasehold system unless they collectively purchase the freehold or convert to commonhold.
In practice this can be expensive and complex, leaving millions of current leaseholders with limited benefit from reforms.
Ground rent cap still allows unfair charges
Although a £250 cap is an improvement, SSRA believes ground rent should ultimately be abolished entirely, not simply limited.
Ground rent is widely criticised because it is a charge paid without any service being provided.
Service charges remain largely unregulated
Service charges are often the largest financial burden on leaseholders, yet the reforms do not introduce a direct cap on them.
While transparency measures are planned, residents still face significant challenges in challenging excessive or poorly justified charges.
Timescales are slow
Many of the proposed changes could take years to come into force, with some measures expected around the end of the decade.
For residents already struggling with costs, this delay is deeply frustrating.
SSRA’s Position
The proposed reforms represent progress, but they are not the final solution.
SSRA believes the long-term goal should be:
🔹️The complete transition away from leasehold
🔹️Stronger rights for residents to control their buildings
🔹️Full transparency and accountability for managing agents
🔹️A fair and affordable route for existing leaseholders to convert to commonhold
Residents deserve genuine ownership of their homes and meaningful control over how their buildings are run.
SSRA will continue to campaign for reforms that put residents first rather than investors and freeholders.
PLEASE CLICK THE CONSULTATION RECOMMENDATIONS BUTTON FOR RECOMMENDATIONS PUBLISHED BY THE GOVERNEMENT FOLLOWING THEIR CONSULTATION WHICH ENDED IN SEPTEMBER 2026
CONSULTATION CLOSED
Have Your Say on Freehold Estate Charges
The Government is currently consulting on new legal protections for homeowners on freehold estates — and this is a big one.
If you pay estate management charges, rentcharges, or administration fees on a freehold property, this consultation could directly shape your future rights.
For years, many homeowners have faced:
> Rising estate charges with little transparency
> Difficulty challenging unreasonable costs
> Limited rights compared to leaseholders
> Aggressive enforcement powers for small arrears
The Government is now asking whether stronger protections should be introduced — including improved transparency, the right to challenge charges, and fairer enforcement rules.
This is your opportunity to tell them what living on a freehold estate is really like.
Why Your Response Matters
Consultations influence how legislation is implemented. Real experiences carry weight — especially when multiple homeowners describe the same problems.
If you’ve ever:
> Struggled to get clear breakdowns of charges
> Felt powerless to challenge costs
> Been threatened with legal action over small sums
> Experienced poor estate maintenance
> Questioned where your money is going
…this is the moment to put it on record.
Deadline: 12 March 2026
Responses must be submitted before the deadline.
It only takes a short time to complete, but it could help shape protections for thousands of homeowners.
SSRA strongly encourages all affected residents to respond individually. The more voices raised, the harder it is to ignore the reality of what’s happening on freehold estates.
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