Vaughan Gething has called for “long-overdue” reform to the leasehold system, warning of “injustice, iniquity and unscrupulous landlords fleecing households.”

The former first minister said new leasehold properties are still being created following a significant increase over the past two decades.

Leading a debate, he told the Senedd: “Long leases – typically those exceeding 21 years – frequently require a leaseholder to pay an annual ground rent, for which the landlord does not have to provide a clear service in return.

“It is, effectively, a means for an unscrupulous landlord to lever money out of leaseholders.”

Mr Gething acknowledged a Tory-introduced ban on ground rent in new leaseholds in Wales and England from 2022, but warned existing leaseholders remain subject to rising rents.