buying

How to check if a house is freehold or leasehold

Find out if a house is freehold or leasehold in minutes: the free HM Land Registry summary, the title register, the listing, and what to ask about the lease.

4 min read
Last reviewed 20 October 2026
By Your Property Check team

Part 1 of 10

Why freehold or leasehold matters

Freehold or leasehold decides what you own and what you owe each year. Citizens Advice explains that with a freehold property the land the house is built on is part of the sale. With a leasehold property you pay ground rent to the owner of the land, who is called the freeholder, and you may also pay an annual service charge.

GOV.UK adds the key point about time: you only own a leasehold property for a fixed period. The lease is a legal agreement with the landlord that says how many years you will own the property, and ownership returns to the landlord when the lease ends.

That is why you should know the tenure before you view twice, let alone make an offer.

Part 2 of 10

Step 1: Read the listing, but do not stop there

Listings usually state the tenure, but not always. Treat what the listing says as a lead, not a fact, and confirm it against the official record.

Part 3 of 10

Step 2: Use the free property summary

GOV.UK's HM Land Registry search is the fastest check. You need to sign in, and you need a card only if you want to download documents.

Go to the GOV.UK search for property information.
Search for the address.
Open the property summary. It is free and includes the address, a property description and the "tenure type", which is the type of ownership.

This works for properties in England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland use different systems.

If the property does not come up in the search, it may not be registered. GOV.UK says you can request a search of the index map. Tell your solicitor straight away if that happens.

Part 4 of 10

Step 3: Get the title register for the detail

The title register is a document that records who owns a property and on what terms. GOV.UK sells it for £7, and it usually includes the title number, the owner, the last sale price, whether there is a mortgage, and details of restrictive covenants and easements. The title plan is £7 as well. Prices can change, so check on GOV.UK.

For a leasehold property, the register also points to the lease. Ask your solicitor to get a copy of it, because the register alone will not show every term.

Part 5 of 10

Step 4: If it is leasehold, check these things

A lease is a contract. Before you buy, find out:

How many years are left. Citizens Advice tells buyers to check that the length of the lease is acceptable to the mortgage lender. A lease the lender does not accept can limit your options, so ask your broker or lender early.
The ground rent. This is paid to the freeholder. Ask what it is now and whether the lease lets it change.
The service charge. Citizens Advice says it covers items such as maintenance and repairs to the buildings, cleaning of common parts and looking after the grounds. Ask for recent accounts and any planned major works.
Who the freeholder is and who manages the building.
Any other costs the lease sets out, such as permission fees for alterations.

None of these figures is the same from one lease to the next. Do not rely on a rule of thumb. Read the lease or have your solicitor explain it.

Part 6 of 10

Step 5: If it is freehold, still look at the register

Freehold is simpler but not always cost-free. GOV.UK explains that a rentcharge is an annual sum paid by a freehold homeowner to a third party, sometimes called a chief rent. Rentcharges created since 1977 are not allowed, so any you find are old. An unredeemed rentcharge stays on the Charges register of the title. Ground rent is a separate thing that applies only to leasehold property.

The register can also show restrictive covenants, which are rules in the deeds about what you can do with the property, and easements, such as another person's right of way. Our guide on restrictive covenants explains these.

Part 7 of 10

Houses and flats

Citizens Advice says the service charge usually applies to flats, so leasehold is often linked with flats. But do not guess the tenure from the type of home. Check the tenure type on the property summary, whether it is a house or a flat.

Part 8 of 10

Step 6: Ask your solicitor to confirm

Your solicitor or licensed conveyancer must check there are no problems with the ownership of the property. They do this with the Land Registry and the seller's answers to standard questions. If the home is leasehold, they will read the lease and tell you what it means for you. This is the part a free check cannot do.

Part 9 of 10

When the answer looks wrong

If the listing, the property summary and what the seller says do not match, do not pick the one you prefer. Ask the seller's agent to explain, and ask your solicitor to look at the register before you spend more on surveys or legal work.

Part 10 of 10

A quick checklist

Note the tenure in the listing.
Look up the free property summary and compare the tenure type.
Buy the title register if you are serious about the house.
If leasehold, ask for the lease length, ground rent, service charge and freeholder.
If freehold, look for rentcharges and covenants on the register.
Ask your solicitor to confirm all of it before you exchange contracts.

You can run the wider set of public checks on an address with our free property checker. It does not replace the register, but it saves time before you pay for one.

This page is general information for England and Wales, not legal advice.

Questions, answered

Frequently asked questions

How can I check if my house is freehold or leasehold?

Search the address on GOV.UK's HM Land Registry property search. The free property summary shows the tenure type. The title register, which costs £7 at the time of writing, confirms the details. Your title deeds or your solicitor can also tell you.

Is there a free freehold checker?

Yes. GOV.UK's property summary is free and shows the tenure type for registered properties in England and Wales. You need to sign in. Paying is only needed if you want to download documents such as the title register.

What is the difference between freehold and leasehold?

With freehold, the land the property sits on is part of the sale. With leasehold you own the property for a fixed number of years under a lease, you pay ground rent to the freeholder and you may pay a service charge. Ownership returns to the landlord when the lease ends.

Can a freehold house have extra charges?

Sometimes. GOV.UK says a freehold homeowner can pay a rentcharge to a third party, also called a chief rent. Rentcharges created since 1977 are not allowed. Any that remain are listed on the Charges register of the title.

Does a house with a short lease cause problems?

It can. Citizens Advice says to check that the lease length is acceptable to the mortgage lender, so a short lease may limit who will lend. Speak to your solicitor and a mortgage adviser before you offer.

What if the property does not show up in the search?

GOV.UK says to request a search of the index map if a property does not appear in the register search. It may be unregistered. Tell your solicitor, who can advise on what that means for your purchase.

Where this comes from

Sources

Last reviewed 20 October 2026 by the Your Property Check team. This page is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. For your own situation, speak to a conveyancing solicitor or another qualified professional.