Freehold

Owning a property and the land it stands on outright, with no time limit. Most houses in England are freehold.

In short: Freehold is outright ownership of a property and its land, with no lease and no end date. A freeholder does not pay ground rent, though some freehold estates charge an estate rent or maintenance charge. The freeholder of a block of flats is the landlord of the leaseholders.

Selling a home

England. Checked against the law on 5 October 2026. Information, not legal advice.

Points to know:

A freehold house is registered at HM Land Registry, whose title register shows the owner and any rights or restrictions.
Some new-build freehold estates have estate charges for shared roads or green spaces, which work much like a service charge.
Share of freehold: leaseholders of a block jointly own the freehold through a company, so they control the building and can extend their own leases.
Selling a freehold home still needs the material information in the advert, including tenure.

Where this comes from

Leasehold property (GOV.UK)

Guides on this

Guide

Selling a home that is let: with the tenant in place or empty

Sell with the tenant staying, or empty. Without the tenant's agreement, ground 1A needs four months' notice and cannot be used in the first year. Plus the EPC and the 60-day tax deadline.

Related terms

Glossary

Capital gains tax 60-day report

When you sell a UK home that is not your main home and owe capital gains tax, you must report and pay it to HMRC within 60 days of completion.

Glossary

Ground rent

A yearly payment a leaseholder makes to the freeholder under the lease. For most new long residential leases since 30 June 2022 it is limited to a peppercorn (nothing).

Glossary

Leasehold

Owning a home for a fixed number of years under a lease from the freeholder. Most flats in England are leasehold.

Glossary

Material information

The facts about a home a person needs to decide whether to rent or buy it, such as the rent or price, council tax band, EPC and any known risks, which an advert must not leave out.

Glossary

Service charge

What a leaseholder pays the freeholder or managing agent towards the costs of the building: repairs, cleaning, insurance and management of the shared parts.

Glossary

Unique property reference number (UPRN)

A number of up to 12 digits that identifies every addressable place in Great Britain, such as a home, a flat or a building, for its whole life.

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