Thousands of people living in new homes in Milton Keynes are being 'fleeced' of money, claim MPs

They have this week signed a hard-hitting letter asking the major developers to play their part in stopping the process.

The missive has been sent to Barratt Redrow, Persimmon Homes, Taylor Wimpey, Berkeley Group, Vistry Group, Bloor Homes, Crest Nicholson, and Miller Homes.

Fees to estate management companies can total hundreds of pounds and happen when the area has not been adopted by the council – a process that can be delayed for years. Until their estate is officially adopted, residents must pay the fees for maintenance and repairs – often with no idea how money is spent.

Shocking figures highlights that 80% of new estates are not adopted by local authorities nationally, say the Milton Keynes MPs.

They are among 36 Labour politicians nationally to sign the letter, which urges developers to act to prevent residents being stuck in these “exploitive fleecehold” arrangements with management companies

They are also asking that the developers speed up the adoption process by ensuring they build estates to council standards in the first place.

"Where adoptions don't occur, ongoing contractual arrangements with management companies can come at huge costs to new homeowners with no accountability on how money is spent,” they said.

In 2022, households across the UK paid £260m in estate management charges. The average one-off charge is around £360 but many pay “significantly more” for unplanned repairs over the years, say the MPs.

The letter states: “We welcome the new Government's commitment to acting on unadopted housing estates in this Parliament, but given the growing scale of the issue we cannot be content to wait for national legislation to put things right. We are keen to see developers work with councils as sites are approved and built to ensure new estates are built to standard and readily adopted by councils, ensuring this new generation of homeowners are not subject to unreasonable charges.”

Callum Anderson, MP for Buckingham and Bletchley, said: “In 2025, it’s simply not right that around 80% of new housing estates aren’t being adopted by local authorities – leaving new homeowners trapped in unfair, unaccountable ‘fleecehold’ arrangements. I’ve heard from dozens of constituents that they are affected by this issue, and it needs to end. I welcome the Government’s commitment to legislate - but housing developers must also step up and take responsibility now.”

Emily Darlington, MP for Milton Keynes Central, said: “There are families in our city who have saved for years to buy a home, only to find themselves trapped in a costly and exploitative ‘fleecehold’ arrangement - it’s heartbreaking to see and it just isn’t right. I’m glad Labour is working to end this once and for all, but in the meantime family finances are being drained and we need to see immediate action from developers.”

Chris Curtis, MP for Milton Keynes North, said: “I’m proud of the decisive action our Labour Government and Labour Council are taking to build the new homes and infrastructure needed to tackle the housing crisis - but shameful ‘fleecehold’ arrangements are a blight on our city, happening far too often on new estates, and developers need to play their part in stopping it.”