Flat Break-Ups: The British Condominium Conversion Experience

Abstract

This chapter details my involvement in both basic research and a government committee of inquiry, where I was appointed research director into the problems experienced in the apartment sector in England and Wales in the 1970s and 1980s. This involvement led to a series of proposals produced by the Committee that fed directly into the Landlord and Tenant Act of 1987, which received multi-party support in the Houses of Parliament and was passed into law. The work made a significant improvement to the conditions and rights of tenants and long leaseholders in Britain. Although the legislation did not go far enough, it provided the basis for subsequent legislation, which has further strengthened the rights of these groups and reduced the power of predatory landlords. This chapter sets out the background to the problem, the nature of the problems, and the work of the Committee.