More than three million leaseholders in England will gain stronger rights to challenge unfair service charges from 1 April 2027, after the government confirmed it is laying five sets of regulations in Parliament on Thursday 12 November 2026 to bring the new protections into force.

The measures, announced by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, give flat owners new powers to demand information about what they are paying for and stronger protection against being made to pay their landlord's legal costs when they dispute a charge.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said: "It is simply wrong that millions of leaseholders can be hit with unfair charges, then face another bill just for challenging them. That isn't right, and where we can act quickly to change it, we will."

What changes on 1 April 2027

From 1 April 2027, leaseholders will have stronger statutory powers to request information about their service charges, including information about previous years, making it easier to see what they are paying for and why. Landlords will be required to give a valid reason if they refuse a request.

The government's consultation response, published on 15 July 2026, proposes access to records going back up to six years, covering service charges, maintenance, repairs, improvements, insurance and building management.

From the same date, leaseholders will also receive greater protection against being forced to pay their landlord's legal costs when they challenge a service charge. Under the current system, landlords can often pass their legal costs on to leaseholders through service charges, whether or not the leaseholder wins the dispute. From April 2027, a landlord will not be able to recover litigation costs through service charges or administration charges without prior court or tribunal approval.

Clearer bills from November 2027

A second phase begins on 1 November 2027, when leaseholders will automatically receive clearer information about the charges they are being asked to pay, whether their building is owned by a private landlord, a council or a housing association. That will cover service charges, building insurance costs and administration fees.

From 1 November 2028, councils and housing associations will also have to provide leaseholders with new standardised service charge demand forms, financial accounts and annual reports. Private landlords will have to do so a year earlier, from November 2027.

Part of a wider leasehold shake-up

The changes bring into force key protections from the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024, following consultations held in 2024 and 2025. The five sets of regulations laid on 12 November are subject to parliamentary approval, with different parts coming into force on 1 April 2027, 1 November 2027 and 1 November 2028.

One additional set of regulations will be laid in Parliament before the end of 2026, setting out further detail on how the litigation cost reforms will work. Those regulations will also commence on 1 April 2027.

Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook said opaque and rapidly rising service charges were placing significant strain on households, and the new rules would give leaseholders the information and protection they need to hold landlords to account.

Further reform is planned through the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill, which the government says is due to be introduced in Parliament before Christmas 2026. The bill is intended to overhaul the way flats are owned and managed, moving away from the leasehold system towards commonhold.

What leaseholders should know

The new rights apply in England. Leaseholders who believe a charge is unfair will, from April 2027, be able to ask their landlord or managing agent for the underlying records behind the charge, and to challenge the charge without the same risk of picking up the landlord's legal bill. The government has said the changes are designed to remove one of the main barriers that has stopped leaseholders disputing charges they consider unreasonable.

Leaseholders who want to understand the new rules can read the government's announcement on GOV.UK, which sets out the timetable and the protections in full.