How William the Conqueror’s land grab stoked Britain’s housing crisis
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When William the Conqueror was shaping his new kingdom in 1066, the plight of 5 million leaseholders a thousand years in the future wasn’t even a distant consideration.
But fast forward to today, and property owners across the country are bearing the brunt of the Norman king’s legacy.
Housing Secretary Michael Gove hopes to abolish what he described as Britain’s “outdated feudal system”, yet leasehold properties remain ingrained in the nation’s housing crisis.
Owning a leasehold means that you must pay ground rent and service charges to the freeholder – the ultimate owner of the building and land.
Leaseholders have faced rising charges – up 60pc in the space of just five years – which have come on top of spiralling mortgage and energy bills. One Telegraph reader who owns a two-bedroom flat in Southampton said his annual service charge had increased to £6,203.68 this year.
It is an increasing housing problem of today rooted in laws dating back hundreds of years.
Prior to one of William I’s archers shooting Harold Godwinson in the eye at the Battle of Hastings, England was divided up between a mosaic of landowners.
This came to an abrupt end when William ascended the throne, as he hurriedly went about replacing the ruling class. Every inch of land was confiscated and the entire kingdom soon belonged to the new monarch.
He split most of the land to 170 of his loyal nobles and soldiers, while retaining overall ownership for the Crown. The barons (essentially owning the freehold on behalf of the King) pledged to pay the Crown and send men when time came for war. This agreement was called a “fief” in Latin, translating to “fee” in English.
The barons could then let their land to peasant farmers, sparking the dawn of the leasehold system.
Almost a millennium later and England and Wales are the only countries where leasehold is still widely used. The Government is trying to reform the laws at last – yet this could still be a long way down the road. In the meantime, buyers are now starting to “avoid” flats with big service charge overheads following an increase in awareness of leasehold law.
Writing in the Telegraph last month, former housing secretary Robert Jenrick MP said the system was “archaic” and had “become a symbol of rip-off Britain where hidden bills lurk around every corner”.
“Today, leasehold stands not as a curiously British anomaly but as an affront to the distinctly British dream of owning a home and the peace of mind that comes with ownership, rather than the insecurity of renting or leasing,” he wrote.
Leasehold is primarily used for properties that share a single space or have shared services, such as blocks of flats. However, it is being increasingly used for new-build houses as landlords look to take advantage of the guaranteed income stream that ground rent can provide.
Pledged reforms aim to give leaseholders more rights to buy the freehold to their property or extend their lease, although leasehold tenancies on flats will not be banned.
However, MPs warned last month that the long-awaited Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill will not come into force until 2026.
Landowners descending from William I
As well as forming the feudal system, the Normans continue to influence British land ownership in other ways.
Modern day landowners are still beneficiaries of William’s conquest, with a large number – including King Charles III – being descendants of the ruler and his trusty barons.
According to Kevin Cahill’s acclaimed book, Who Owns the World, 70pc of land is still owned by less than 1pc of the population, with just 0.3pc laying claim to two thirds of the country.
The majority of land is under the control of the elite, and much is therefore shielded from housebuilding.
According to the most recent figures, Britain is currently building around 210,000 new homes a year, against a backdrop of 672,000 annual net migration.
Having paved the way for the ruling class to grab their hands on most of Britain’s land, William I unknowingly set today’s lack of housing stock into motion.
If Britain were to catch up with the EU average in terms of the number of housing units per 100,000 inhabitants, it would have to build 3.4 million additional homes in England alone.
In addition, the average British house has only two thirds of the floorspace of the average Dutch, German, Belgian or French house.
