I am delighted to report that the Leasehold Reform Amendment Bill has been making its way through the House of Lords and has now received the Royal Assent.

The Leasehold Reform Amendment Bill received the Royal Assent on Friday 14th March 2014 which means that it will be come law shortly. The bill is a private members’ bill which makes a small but important amendment to the 1993 Leasehold Reform Housing and Urban Development Act.

When enacted it will remove the requirement that the tenant should sign any notice of claim to a new lease (or to buy the freehold) personally and will allow a duly authorised person (such as a solicitor) or someone holding a power of attorney to sign on their behalf.

This will make it easier for flat owners, particularly those under a disability, to access their rights under the 1993 legislation and will also make it far easier for flat owners to bring claims as where parties are some distance apart a solicitor can be authorised to sign on their behalf. This will make claims to larger freehold blocks easier.

Whilst many of the technical challenges in the 1993 Act will remain, this will make it easier for flat owners to access their rights and should in practice speed up the process.