Professor Nick Hopkins was announced on 2 November 2026 as the new Chair of the Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE), the 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. He is now in post, and the appointment is expected to run for three years.

Hopkins succeeds Martin Boyd, who led LEASE from 2023 through what the announcement described as a significant transformation of its services. Hopkins brings experience in land and property law, including a decade as Law Commissioner for Property, Family and Trust Law in England and Wales and his current post as Professor of Land Law at University College London. LEASE said he will provide strategic direction as it modernises its services.

Housing and Planning Minister Matthew Pennycook welcomed the appointment and thanked Boyd for his leadership over the past three years. The government said the Prime Minister has confirmed the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill will be introduced to Parliament before the end of this year. Boyd said his three-year term was ending with LEASE's transformation almost complete.