Leasehold or freehold? How to check a property

Ways to check, from quickest to firmest

If you already own the home, your title register or title deeds will say which it is. For a home you are looking at, a ground rent or service charge is a strong sign of leasehold, as Citizens Advice notes that neither is payable on a freehold.

Be careful with flats and split buildings. The freehold of a block and the lease of a flat are separate titles, so make sure the one you are reading is for the flat.

What the answer means

• Freehold: you own the building and the land it stands on. No ground rent or service charge is payable to a landlord, though an estate charge may still apply on some developments.
• Leasehold: you own the home for a fixed period under a lease, and ownership returns to the landlord when the lease ends.
• Share of freehold: you hold a lease of your flat and also share in owning the freehold. It is still a lease, so check its length.
• Commonhold: you own the flat outright and share the running of the common parts. It is rare today, though the government wants it to become the norm for new flats.

If it is leasehold, what to look at

The word leasehold alone does not tell you whether a property is a good buy. The detail in the lease does, so ask for a copy and go through these points:

• Length. Leases are commonly 99, 125 or 999 years, and selling does not reset the term. GOV.UK warns that lenders may be less willing to lend where less than 80 years remain.
• Ground rent, and whether it can rise. On most new long leases granted on or after 30 June 2022 (1 April 2023 for retirement homes), ground rent is limited to a peppercorn.
• Service charges, what they cover, and the recent accounts.
• Restrictions on pets, letting and alterations, and any fees for consent.

If you are buying a flat, our flat survey guide covers the physical side, and the searches guide explains what your conveyancer checks. LEASE, the Leasehold Advisory Service, offers free initial advice.

Leasehold reform: where things stand in November 2026

Leasehold has not been abolished, and much of the reform you may have read about is not yet in force. At the time of writing:

• In force: the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 removed the need to own for two years before extending a lease or buying the freehold, from 31 January 2025. Right to Manage changes followed on 3 March 2025.
• Dates set for England: new regulations bring in service charge, insurance, administration charge and litigation cost reforms in stages. The first substantive changes start on 1 April 2027, with more on 1 November 2027 and later dates for social landlords.
• Not in force: the ban on new long leases of houses, and the new way of pricing lease extensions and freehold purchases, including the end of marriage value.
• Still a draft: the draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill, published on 27 January 2026. It would cap ground rents at £250 a year, changing to a peppercorn after 40 years, ban leasehold for most new flats and abolish forfeiture. We could find no record of it being introduced to Parliament by early November 2026.

Do not price a purchase on the assumption that a proposal will become law. Reports suggest a ground rent cap could arrive in late 2028, subject to Parliament. Ask your conveyancer what applies on the day you exchange.

What a Doorstep Report shows

Where the data is available, a report shows a recorded tenure and lease term, plus the tenure recorded with past sales. Some values can be predicted rather than recorded, and the report marks those. It is not a title check and does not replace reading the lease. See what the ownership section covers.

Scotland and Northern Ireland

Leasehold in the English sense is uncommon for Scottish homes. The Long Leases (Scotland) Act 2012 converted certain ultra-long leases to ownership on 28 November 2015. Northern Ireland has its own land law and registry. The reforms above apply to England or to England and Wales, and a Doorstep Report covers England and Wales only.