UK Property Tenure Explained: Leasehold, Freehold, Ground Rent, Service Charge & EWS1

Buy a UK property and you will almost certainly meet two key words: leasehold and freehold. They are not optional jargon — they directly determine what you actually own, whether resale and mortgage will go smoothly, and whether you pay ground rent and service charges each year. Many overseas buyers only get to grips with them after exchanging contracts, by which point the moment to ask the right questions has often passed.

This guide, from IREIS Properties, sets out the most common — and most confusing — UK property tenure terms, all in one place. Read it, and you will understand exactly what you are buying the moment you read a listing.

Leasehold versus freehold — what’s the difference?

The core difference is who owns the land. Freehold means you own the property and the land it sits on outright, with no time limit and usually no ground rent — most common for detached and terraced houses. Leasehold means you own the right to occupy the property for a fixed term of years, while the land remains the freeholder’s; almost all flats are held this way. Leasehold is not inherently bad — but you must understand three things: the remaining lease length, the ground rent, and the service charge.

Why are flats almost always leasehold? Because many households in one building share the same plot of land, the same structure and the same communal facilities, and so a single party is needed to hold the land and coordinate maintenance and insurance — which is exactly why the freeholder and the leasehold system exist. Grasp this, and it is easy to see why flats are leasehold as a matter of course, while houses, which sit on their own land, are mostly freehold. For an owner-occupier, leasehold does not stop you living in the property with peace of mind; what truly needs attention is the handful of long-term obligations and conditions that come with it, which we unpack one by one below.

What is share of freehold?

Beyond those two there is a common third arrangement: share of freehold. Here the owners of the individual flats in a building collectively own the building’s freehold (usually through a management company). It combines the flat format of leasehold with collective control over the land, typically giving owners more say over lease renewals and management. When you see the term, do not confuse it with plain leasehold.

Ground rent: new and old leases differ greatly

Ground rent is the annual sum a leaseholder pays the freeholder. A reform in 2022 reduced the ground rent on the vast majority of newly granted residential long leases to a token “peppercorn” — effectively zero. Note carefully, though: this reform applies mainly to new leases; existing leases are in principle unaffected. The government continues to push further reform for existing leases (the direction being to cap ground rents), but the relevant rules are still evolving through legislation and are not yet settled. Before buying an existing leasehold, have your solicitor confirm that property’s ground rent terms.

Service charge

The service charge pays for the communal maintenance and management of a block of flats. Common items include the building’s insurance, cleaning and lighting of common areas, servicing of lifts and fire systems, and landscaping; higher-end schemes may also include a concierge, gym and pool. Many buildings also collect a “sinking fund” (or reserve fund), building up money in advance for future major works such as the external walls, roof or lift replacement. The amount varies with the building’s facilities and scale and can rise year to year with costs; recent reform is also moving towards clearer accounts that owners can more easily scrutinise and challenge where charges look unreasonable. When viewing, always ask exactly how much the service charge is, what it covers, and how it can change — the more lavish the facilities, the higher the long-term service-charge burden tends to be.

Two quiet advantages of a new build: chain-free and the NHBC warranty

Beyond tenure, a new build carries two ideas overseas buyers often overlook. The first is the “property chain”: in the resale market, your purchase can be held up because the seller must first buy their own next home, link upon link, so that if any one link breaks the whole chain stalls. A new build is usually “chain-free” — you buy directly from the developer, removing that interdependence. The second is the new-build warranty: most new builds come with around a ten-year structural warranty (such as NHBC Buildmark). But understand clearly — the warranty covers structural defects; it is not the same as someone checking the workmanship at the point of handover, so a snagging inspection at completion is still advisable. For more, see our explainer on the UK property chain.

Lease length and extension: why the “term” matters

A leasehold’s remaining term directly affects mortgageability and resale. A long-standing principle is that when the remaining term gets low (the market often treats around 80 years as a watch line), the cost of extending rises noticeably. Note that the rules on extension and valuation are themselves changing through reform, so the exact cost and approach should be confirmed with a professional. As a general rule, the longer the term the more comfortable; the common 999-year lease makes little practical difference from freehold for living in and holding the property. It is also worth knowing that leaseholders have statutory routes to extend their lease and, in some cases, to buy the freehold collectively. A recent reform has removed the previous requirement to have owned the property for two years before starting such a claim, so the right can now be exercised sooner after purchase. The detail, eligibility and cost are specialised and still changing through reform, so take advice early — especially if a property’s remaining term is on the shorter side, since the cost of acting tends to rise the longer you wait.

EWS1 and external-wall fire safety

EWS1 is a fire-safety assessment form for the external wall systems of certain (mostly taller) buildings, which some lenders require when approving a mortgage. If a building lacks a necessary EWS1, it can affect how smoothly it can be mortgaged and resold. Before buying a flat — especially one where there may be cladding concerns — have your solicitor and mortgage adviser confirm the status of its fire-safety documentation, who is responsible for any remediation, and whether the building falls within the schemes set up to address unsafe cladding. This is one area where a little homework up front saves a great deal of difficulty at mortgage and resale.

Joint tenancy versus tenancy in common: two forms of co-ownership

Where several people own together (for example, parents and a child), English law offers two forms: joint tenants (an undivided equal interest with a right of survivorship and no separate share) and tenants in common (distinct, possibly unequal shares that can be passed on by will). This matters greatly for a family’s interests and succession planning — we cover it fully in our complete guide to buying UK property for your children.

Do overseas buyers count as “first-time buyers”?

This is the most misunderstood point. UK first-time-buyer relief has specific conditions, the key one being: if you have ever owned, or currently own, a residential property anywhere in the world (including a home in your own country), you generally do not qualify as a first-time buyer. Add that overseas and non-resident buyers may face stamp duty surcharges, and most overseas buyers do not qualify for first-time-buyer relief. Stamp duty is complex in structure — use our UK Stamp Duty Calculator for a precise figure for your circumstances, and have your solicitor confirm case by case. The practical takeaway is simple: do not assume a first-time-buyer discount will apply just because this is your first UK purchase — for most overseas buyers it will not, and budgeting on that assumption can be an expensive surprise at completion.

Understand the terms, and you understand the rules of the game

Leasehold, freehold, ground rent, service charge, EWS1, first-time-buyer status — these terms may seem like detail, but they are the underlying logic of whether a property is worth buying and comfortable to hold. Understand them, and you hold the initiative when reading a listing and talking to your solicitor. The London-based, tri-lingual advisory team at IREIS Properties can clarify the tenure detail at every step. Whether you are buying a first flat for a child at university or building a longer-term portfolio, tenure is the foundation everything else rests upon — get it clear, and every later decision becomes easier and safer. Ready for the process? Read next our complete process for overseas buyers, or browse our Buying Guides and Tax & Legal sections. To get all the costs and taxes in one place, see our UK property costs and taxes overview.