Four of Britain’s biggest housebuilders face enforcement by the competition watchdog for the potential mis-selling of leasehold homes.
The Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA) has opened cases involving Barratt, Persimmon, Taylor Wimpey and Countryside Properties after finding “troubling evidence” that customers may have been misled into buying leasehold homes with onerous or unfair terms.
No decisions have been made, but the investigation could open the way for refunds to affected buyers if the watchdog orders the companies to change their business practices. Customers who were misled about soaring ground rents or the cost of buying their freeholds may may have grounds to challenge their leases.
The cases involve developers who may have failed to explain what an annual ground rent is or how fast it
