Challenging FirstPort

Yesterday, at the Housing, Communities, and Local Government Committee, I questioned Martin King, the Managing Director of FirstPort about the long-standing concerns constituents continue to raise about their properties.

Homes are meant to be places of sanctuary and safety, yet MPs from across the country are receiving a stream of complaints – from damp and mould, to collapsing ceilings, year-long fire alarm repairs, and apartments ultimately becoming uninhabitable.

In one case, a lift in a residential block here in Newbury has been out of action for 22 months, despite repeated assurances it would be fixed. For residents who rely on this every day and continue to pay extortionate rates, it’s simply not good enough.

Service charges remain a core part of this problem. Between 2019-2024, the average service charge rose 33.9%, with many leaseholders paying higher sums for a consistent pattern of poor practise. At the Committee session, I pressed FirstPort on the lack of transparency over where these costs are being spent, and why basic questions continue to go unanswered.

With around 4.8 million leaseholder properties in England, the consequences for positive change are urgent and wide reaching. That’s why the Liberal Democrats have long argued that leaseholders need stronger protections. A proper regulator for the property management sector cannot come soon enough, but it should not take regulation for companies like FirstPort to do the right thing for their customers.

The Managing Director committed to writing back to me on a number of these issues, and I will keep the pressure up to ensure that leaseholders get clear answers and a service that they deserve.