Leaseholder voices concerns over rooftop development
Mauro Murgia, a leaseholder in north London, has raised alarm over the lack of protection for flat owners when freeholders decide to build additional storeys on top of occupied buildings. In his case, planning permission has been granted in principle for rooftop development, yet the council confirmed there is no building regulations application, no building control approval, and no construction management plan to protect residents during works.
Fragmented responsibility leaves leaseholders at risk
Murgia said: 'Leaseholders are expected to live with the consequences – noise, dust, loss of amenities, uncertainty over property value and saleability, and concerns about safety during major works – while responsibility is fragmented between planning, building control, private approvers, the fire brigade and the Health and Safety Executive. Each body deals with only part of the picture, but no one seems responsible for the overall impact on residents who must continue living in the building throughout the works.'
Financial injustice highlighted
The letter follows a National Leasehold Campaign article that highlighted financial injustices of leasehold ownership. Murgia noted that the freeholder gains the value from development, while leaseholders below carry the risk. He called for leasehold reform to address the lack of protection for residents facing rooftop development on occupied buildings.
Call for government action
'If the government is serious about leasehold reform, it must also address the lack of protection for residents facing rooftop development on occupied buildings,' Murgia wrote. The issue underscores systemic gaps in the planning and building control system, leaving leaseholders vulnerable to decisions made by freeholders without adequate safeguards.
