Petition · Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government
Ban service charges on inherited retirement properties while vacant
Open for signatures
1,064 signatures
What the petition asks
The Government should ban retirement-housing operators from charging service charges after a leaseholder's death. Estates must not be billed while a flat is empty, in probate, or stuck on the slow resale market common in this sector. We believe this unfair financial burden should end.
Many families inherit retirement flats that are hard to sell, facing service charges of £5k-14k a year from the day the leaseholder dies. Estates can be billed for years while flats sit empty, unsold, or restricted from renting. It affects anyone with parents in retirement housing and can wipe out inheritances entirely. When the estate's money runs out, payments come from the family's own finances including pensions to stop arrears growing. If they die, the financial burden lands on their heirs again.
Timeline
| 3 Jul 2026 | Petition opened for signatures |
Key facts
Signatures
1,064
Status
Open for signatures
Department
Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government
Opened
3 Jul 2026
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 26 Jul 2026.