Leaseholders in Northern Ireland are calling for new legislation that would grant them the right to challenge service charges they deem unreasonable, a right currently available to residents in England, Scotland, and Wales.
Concerns have been amplified by significant increases in service charges, which fund the maintenance, repairs, and management of communal areas in apartment buildings. For some, these charges have trebled, placing a considerable financial burden on residents, particularly pensioners. Heather Jackson, a leaseholder for over two decades, stated that her service charges now amount to approximately £365 per month, a sum she finds difficult to manage on a pension.
"What we want is to know that we are paying a fair and reasonable amount, and here we have nowhere we can challenge this," said one resident who, along with others, is advocating for legislative change. Currently, leaseholders in Northern Ireland have no independent tribunal or mechanism to dispute these fees.
Lisburn Square No 2, which purchased the development, stated that it inherited existing legal arrangements between the landlord and leaseholders. According to the management company, these legal documents detail the operation of service charges and the obligations of both parties. They also noted that leaseholders are required to confirm they received independent legal advice before entering into the agreement, and that all service charge expenditures are audited by chartered certified accountants, with summaries provided to each leaseholder.
However, the issue has gained wider attention, with assembly members raising constituent concerns about "significant unexplained increases in service charges that were crippling in their effect." Lagan Valley assembly member David Honeyford has previously highlighted these issues, stating that people in his constituency "are being held to ransom." He emphasized that current legislation has not kept pace with modern living arrangements and that residents need transparency, understanding of their payments, and the ability to appeal if they disagree.
In October 2025, Finance Minister John O'Dowd announced plans to reform the regulation of shared property management in Northern Ireland. O'Dowd stated the need for clear, fair, and effective regulation to protect residents in apartments and other shared developments as the housing landscape evolves. His department's scoping study explored policy options, including a registration scheme for managing agents and more fundamental reforms to land law, to address situations where residents face substantial and unexplained hikes in service charges.