Hitchin MP continues to lead the charge in Parliament against the fleecehold stealth tax

PRESS RELEASE FROM ALISTAIR STRATHERN MP

MONDAY 24th JUNE 2025

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Alistair Strathern, the MP for the Hitchin constituency, continued his campaign against the ‘fleecehold stealth tax’ again in Westminster today, hosting a Westminster Hall debate on unadopted estates and estate management companies.

In the debate Strathern derided what he calls ‘fleecehold stealth tax’ – where households in estates unadopted by the council have to pay private management companies sky-high bills for maintenance, on top of their council tax - and pushed Ministers for action. Since being elected Strathern has been a regular campaigner on fleecehold issues, with countless estates across the towns and villages he represents currently stuck in estate adoption limbo.

In recognition of the growing scale of the issue, the Competition and Markets Authority published a report into fleecehold last year, finding that up to 80% of new housing estates are unadopted. With little incentive on either developers or local authorities to ensure estates are ultimately adopted, Strathern believes more and more households risk being hit with the fleecehold stealth tax without action.

He used the debate to share stories of the challenges faced by constituents on unadopted estates, from sales falling through to rip off maintenance fees. Strathern called for the government to adopt key aspects of his Housing Estates Bill. The Bill would make it mandatory for councils to adopt estates going forward, enforce higher minimum standards on management companies, and remove the barriers to residents taking management control of their private estates where they already exist.

Alistair Strathern MP said:

“Far too many new homeowners across the country are falling victim to the fleecehold stealth tax. With no incentive for developers or councils to ensure estates are adopted, new homeowners are being left on the hook for rip off management fees from accountable management companies.

“Today’s debate was an important moment to continue to push the case for action. Building off my Housing Estates Bill earlier this year, the case for action couldn’t be clearer.

“From better regulation of management companies, to legislation to stop estates going unadopted in the first place, we owe it to new homeowners in Hitchin and across the country to act.

“Rest assured I’ll be continuing to champion action to end the fleecehold stealth tax in Parliament, and working with affected estates locally to hold developers, councils and management companies to account.”

Notes for Editors

You can see Strathern speaking in Parliament today, here.

You can see Strathern introducing his 10 Minute Rule Bill to the Commons here.