Former Law Commissioner Nick Hopkins named chair of Leasehold Advisory Service

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has appointed Professor Nick Hopkins, the former Law Commissioner who led the Law Commission's work on leasehold and commonhold reform, as chair of the Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE).

The appointment was announced on 2 November 2026. Hopkins is already in post and the ministry said the role is expected to run for three years. He succeeds Martin Boyd, who has chaired LEASE since 2023.

LEASE is a government-funded body that gives free advice and information to leaseholders and park home owners in England and Wales, including on commonhold and building safety issues. The ministry said Hopkins would provide strategic direction as the organisation continues to modernise its services.

Professor Nick Hopkins, incoming chair of LEASE, said: "I welcome the opportunity to help prepare current and future homeowners for the transition to commonhold as the default tenure for flat ownership so that they can fully benefit from the advantages that it will bring."

The new chair

According to the ministry, Hopkins spent a decade as Law Commissioner for Property, Family and Trust Law in England and Wales, a period that included leading the Commission's residential leasehold and commonhold reform work. He is Professor of Land Law at University College London.

The Law Commission announced in May 2025 that Professor Lisa Webley would replace Hopkins as Commissioner for Property, Family and Trust Law from 1 September 2025, after what it described as almost 10 years in the post.

The Commission's commonhold recommendations were set out in its July 2020 report, Reinvigorating commonhold: the alternative to leasehold ownership. When the government published its Commonhold White Paper in March 2025, Hopkins, then Commissioner, said the paper was a welcome step in implementing the Commission's recommendations.

Matthew Pennycook MP, Minister for Housing and Planning, said he looked forward to working with Hopkins through what he called a critical period, as the government gives leaseholders relief and progresses reforms to end the leasehold system.

Boyd's tenure

Boyd's appointment as chair was announced on 31 October 2023 by the then Housing Minister and Secretary of State. At that time he was chair of the Leasehold Knowledge Partnership, and his brief was to oversee the transformation of LEASE so it could support more leaseholders.

Martin Boyd, outgoing chair of LEASE, said: "Radically transforming LEASE was my original brief. That transition is now almost complete, but it now becomes a stepping stone for Nick to take forward."

Pennycook said LEASE had improved materially under Boyd's leadership over the past three years, to the benefit of leaseholders and homeowners.

Kion Ahadi, LEASE chief executive, said he wanted to work with Hopkins to deliver more personalised advice and strengthen the organisation's digital services, making it easier for people to get help.

How LEASE is governed

LEASE was set up under the Companies Act 1985 as a company limited by guarantee and is now constituted under the Companies Act 2006. The Cabinet Office classifies it as a non-departmental public body.

Under the organisation's framework document, the department, as member, appoints the chair and the other independent non-executive members of the board.

The reform programme

The appointment comes as the government prepares legislation to change how flats are owned. In November 2024 the government said it would take steps to make commonhold the default tenure, and on 3 March 2025 it published the Commonhold White Paper.

The White Paper notes that commonhold was introduced in England and Wales in 2004 through the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002, but that flats continue to be owned almost universally on a leasehold basis. The government said it is determined that commonhold becomes the default tenure.

In March 2025 the government said new leasehold flats would be banned once a comprehensive new legal framework for commonhold is in place.

In the 2 November 2026 announcement, the ministry said the Prime Minister has confirmed the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill will be introduced to Parliament before the end of 2026.