A new survey has laid bare the mental toll that leasehold problems are having on those affected, with almost a thousand leaseholders reporting suicidal thoughts.

The National Leasehold Campaign (NLC) and mental health charity Silence of Suicide (SOS) polled 2,362 leaseholders after advertising the survey on both organisations’ websites and on social media.

The pool of respondents is likely to be mainly drawn from leaseholders who have encountered difficulties with their freeholder than those who have had no issues, due to the fact they are following the campaign group’s activities.

However, the findings demonstrate the serious impact that leasehold problems can have.

It found that 41% of leaseholders reported suicidal thoughts, or 968 out of all of those surveyed.

On top of this, 48% experienced severe breakdowns in personal relationships as a result of leasehold issues and 89% think about their leasehold situation every day.

The survey found that 4.4% have attempted to take their own lives.

NLC co-founder Jo Darbyshire says: “The findings are bleak, but sadly not surprising. 

“The psychological toll is profound. 

“Every delay destroys more lives.”

Julie Tobin of SOS adds: “It’s heartbreaking to hear that some have felt so hopeless and trapped that they’ve ended their lives. 

“These aren’t just statistics; they are real people with loved ones left behind. 

“We must ask ourselves how much more suffering needs to occur before compassion and fairness finally take priority.”

SOS says it is on hand to help leaseholders experiencing mental health crises.

It has also created a free training course providing guidance on how to identify when someone might be struggling and how to open up conversations to support them.