Leasehold tenure is the choice of many utopian communities, from the garden cities of the early 20th century to the cohousing schemes now emerging in Britain. We have decided that 999-year leases (for both flats and houses) with ground rents of £30-£100 (linked to inflation) is the best approach. We have a lease clause providing that money unspent from the ground rents will, long-term, be recycled into site improvements. If leasehold houses were banned, we would not have any ground rent income – even though such income would provide an equitably accrued emergency fund to meet unexpected legal or similar costs. Jane BlackburnChair, Cannock Mill Cohousing Colchester• Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com• Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit gu.com/letters

Source: The Guardian August 16, 2017 18:00 UTC