Buying a Leasehold Flat: Lease Length, Ground Rent and What Your Solicitor Checks

When you buy a leasehold flat, you are buying a lease: the right to own the flat for the years left on it. So on top of the usual conveyancing, your solicitor checks the lease itself. The points that matter most are the years left, the ground rent, the service charge and reserve fund, the rules in the lease and, in taller buildings, the building safety paperwork.

Checked 20 October 2026.

Lease length

Check how many years are left, not how long the lease was when it started. A 99-year lease granted in 1990 has around 63 years left in 2026.

• The 80-year point. Under the current rules, extending a lease with fewer than 80 years left usually costs noticeably more, because the premium then includes an extra element called marriage value.
• Lenders. Each lender sets its own minimum number of years that must be left, and some also want the lease to run well past the end of the mortgage. Many lenders publish their minimum in Part 2 of the UK Finance Mortgage Lenders' Handbook (checked 20 October 2026), and requirements vary a lot from lender to lender. A short lease narrows the lenders who will lend on the flat, now and when you come to sell.
• If the lease is short. You can claim a lease extension as soon as you have bought the flat. The rule that you had to own it for two years first ended on 31 January 2025. Another option is for the seller to start the formal extension before the sale and pass the claim to you on completion. Tell us early, so we can plan it with the purchase.

Our guide to extending a lease explains the steps and the costs.

Ground rent

Ground rent is a yearly payment to the freeholder, if the lease reserves one. Check how much it is now and how it can rise. Some leases increase it by a fixed amount, some link it to inflation, and some double it at set intervals.

Some lenders will not lend where the ground rent is high compared with the value of the flat, or rises sharply. Most new long leases granted since 30 June 2022 can only charge a nominal "peppercorn" ground rent, but older leases keep whatever they say. The government has proposed a cap on existing ground rents, but it is not in force.

Service charge and reserve fund

The service charge is your share of the cost of insuring, repairing and running the building. Ask for:

• The last three years' accounts and this year's budget, to see what you will pay and whether it is rising.
• The reserve fund, the money set aside for big repairs. A healthy fund makes a large one-off bill less likely.
• Planned major works, such as a new roof, windows or lift. If works are planned, ask how much each flat will pay and when.
• Arrears and disputes. The seller should clear any money they owe before completion. Where the year-end accounts are not settled yet, part of the price may be held back to cover the seller's share.

The management pack

Most of this information comes from the freeholder or managing agent in a leasehold information pack, often called the management pack. It also covers the buildings insurance, any disputes, and the fees for registering your purchase with the landlord after completion. The freeholder or managing agent sets its own charge for the pack and for those registration steps. It is shown separately from our fee.

The pack can take several weeks to arrive, and it is one of the main reasons a leasehold purchase takes longer than a freehold one.

Building safety

For a flat in a building in England of five or more storeys, or 11 metres or more high, the Building Safety Act 2022 adds paperwork: the landlord's certificate, the leaseholder deed of certificate and the position on any remediation works. These decide who pays for any historical safety defects. Where they apply, we deal with them as Dealing with Building Safety Act (£500 + VAT).

Rules in the lease

Read the restrictions before you commit. Leases commonly need the landlord's consent for alterations, and can restrict letting the flat, short holiday lets, pets, flooring and business use. If you plan to do any of these, tell us, and we check what the lease allows.

What it costs

On a £300,000 leasehold flat in England, bought with one mortgage, our legal fee is £1,260 + VAT, so £1,512 including VAT. That includes Dealing with Leasehold (£150 + VAT). If the flat is in a building in England of five or more storeys, or 11 metres or more high, Dealing with Building Safety Act (£500 + VAT) is added. Typical disbursements, such as searches and identity checks, are £319 for one buyer, including VAT where it applies. Not included: the freeholder's or managing agent's charges, a survey, indemnity premiums and lender charges.

Stamp Duty and the HM Land Registry fee are set by government and paid on top. On a £300,000 home they are £5,000 at the standard rates, or nothing for a first-time buyer, or £20,000 at the higher rates, plus £150 to the Land Registry.

Our guide to solicitor fees for buying a house explains each line of the fee, and our conveyancing cost calculator works it out for your price.

How long it takes

A leasehold purchase typically takes 10 to 12 weeks from instruction to completion. With our fast-track service it typically takes 8 to 10 weeks, for £500 + VAT paid on completion. If we miss the fast-track timescale, you do not pay the fast-track fee, unless the delay is outside our control (for example caused by the other side, the lender or the chain). Timescales depend on the chain, the searches, your lender and how quickly the managing agent sends the pack.

If the purchase falls through

You pay the File Opening Fee (Non-refundable) and any disbursements we have already paid out on your behalf. The rest is refunded, or carried over to your next property when you find one.

Leasehold law is changing

The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 is coming into force in stages. The end of the two-year wait is in force. New rules on how lease extensions are valued, including the end of marriage value, are not in force yet, so the current rules still apply. Checked 20 October 2026 against the government's leasehold toolkit.

Questions people ask

Why buy a leasehold property?

Most flats in England are only sold leasehold, so for most flat buyers there is no freehold alternative. A long lease with reasonable charges is a normal purchase. Our guide to freehold vs leasehold compares the two.

Are leasehold properties difficult to sell?

A flat with a long lease and reasonable charges usually sells like any other home. A short lease, a ground rent that rises sharply, or unresolved building safety work can narrow the buyers and lenders available, so it pays to check these when you buy.

What is a good leasehold title?

On the title register, "absolute leasehold" is the strongest class of title. "Good leasehold" means HM Land Registry has not checked the landlord's right to grant the lease. Some lenders ask for an indemnity insurance policy before lending on a good leasehold title, so we check this early.

What is a share of freehold flat?

You hold a lease of your flat, and the flat owners own the building's freehold together. Our guide to share of freehold explains what changes when you buy one.

Can I buy the freehold of my flat?

Flat owners can club together to buy the freehold of their building, if enough of them take part. The government's guide to buying the freehold explains who qualifies.

Get your figure

Our leasehold and lease extension page explains how we handle a leasehold purchase. For an exact, itemised figure, get a quote for your purchase.

Sources

Our fees: our fee scale, checked 20 October 2026. Published ranges: our fees page.

Leasehold property: gov.uk/leasehold-property

Leasehold reform, what is in force: the government's leasehold toolkit for England, published 20 May 2026, checked 20 October 2026.

Lenders' lease requirements: each lender's answers in the UK Finance Mortgage Lenders' Handbook, Part 2, checked 20 October 2026.

Stamp Duty rates: gov.uk/stamp-duty-land-tax/residential-property-rates

This is general information about buying a leasehold flat in England, not advice on your lease, your purchase or your tax. Leasehold law is changing; check the position that applies when you buy. Our fees are for a standard transaction, and your written quote confirms the exact figure.