Free to use · No signup needed to run any tool
All articles

buying

Share of freehold, leasehold or commonhold: what each means for owners

Share of freehold explained and compared with standard leasehold and commonhold: who owns what, who pays for repairs and what lenders may ask.

  • 4 min read
  • Last reviewed 4 November 2026
  • By Your Property Check team

Key answer

Share of freehold means the leaseholders of a block of flats jointly own the freehold, usually through a company, and each also holds a lease on their own flat. You still have a lease, but your own company is the landlord. Lenders' attitudes vary, so check the lease and ask your lender early.

Part 1 of 7

What a share of freehold is

General information, not advice. GOV.UK says that with leasehold you only own a property for a fixed period, set by a lease that is a legal agreement with the landlord, also called the freeholder. Most flats are leasehold. GOV.UK adds that for a flat you would need to buy a share of the freehold if you wanted to own it, which is where the phrase comes from. The freehold of the building, and often the common parts, is owned jointly by the leaseholders. In practice that is usually done through a company that the flat owners hold shares in, but the arrangement can differ from block to block, so read the documents. We read the GOV.UK pages named below on 4 November 2026.

The important point is that you normally still have a lease on your own flat. The lease sets your obligations, and the freeholder is now a body you belong to.

Part 2 of 7

How the three set-ups compare

FactorShare of freeholdStandard leaseholdCommonhold
Who owns the buildingThe flat owners jointly, often through a companyA freeholder, usually a separate partyA different model of ownership, described in the GOV.UK toolkit
What you ownA lease on your flat plus a share in the freehold ownerA lease for a fixed periodNot covered in detail by the pages we read
Who decides on repairsThe owners, through the companyThe freeholder or its managing agent, within the leaseCheck the commonhold documents
Who paysOwners, usually shared costsLeaseholders through service chargesCheck the commonhold documents
StatusFound in owner-led blocksMost flats are leaseholdGOV.UK says not yet in force for new flats; a draft Bill would make it the default for new flats

Check the exact details in the documents for your block. The commonhold column is deliberately light because the GOV.UK pages we read describe it only briefly.

Part 3 of 7

Is it better than leasehold

It depends on the block and the owners. Having a say over the building can mean more control over insurance, repairs and who manages it. It also means responsibility. The owners have to run the building, and if some do not pay their share, the others carry the gap. A badly organised owners' company can be harder to live with than a good outside landlord. Service charges still apply in a typical set-up, because someone has to pay for maintenance.

On the lease itself, GOV.UK says ownership returns to the landlord when a lease ends. With a share of freehold you still hold a lease, and the lease length still matters to buyers and lenders, so check it. Our guide to how to check whether a house is freehold or leasehold shows how to see the tenure and the lease length on the register.

Part 4 of 7

Who pays for repairs

In a share of freehold block the owners collectively are responsible for the building, subject to the lease terms. Costs are normally split between the flats in the way the lease sets out, often through service charges or the company's funds. Ask for the accounts, the buildings insurance details and any planned major works before you buy. GOV.UK's leasehold guide covers service charges and leaseholders' rights in separate sections that we did not need for this comparison.

Part 5 of 7

Can you get a mortgage

Lender attitudes vary. Some lenders treat a share of freehold flat like any other leasehold flat, while others ask for extra checks on the lease length, the company and the number of flats. We do not have a sourced list of lender rules, so we do not quote one. Ask your broker or lender early, and give them the lease and the company's articles if they request them. A short lease or an unusual structure can narrow your choices regardless of the tenure label.

Part 6 of 7

How owners get a share of the freehold

Two routes are described on GOV.UK. You can ask the landlord to sell you the freehold at any time. And where the landlord is selling the freehold of a building with flats, the leaseholders usually have a right of first refusal, meaning the landlord must offer them the chance to buy first. The process, rules and costs for a group buying a freehold depend on the law in force, which has been changing. GOV.UK's leasehold toolkit says reforms to the enfranchisement scheme are not yet in force. Our guide to ground rent and peppercorn rent covers one related cost.

Part 7 of 7

What to ask before buying

  • Is the freehold owned by a company, and are you required to buy a share?
  • How long is the lease, and what is the ground rent?
  • Who manages the building, and what do the accounts show?
  • Is there a sinking fund, and any planned works?
  • Do any owners have arrears?

Your conveyancer can raise these and review the answers. Our checks before buying article lists wider checks, our free property check shows sold prices, EPC, crime, flood, planning and council tax for an address, and the glossary entry on freehold and leasehold give the basics.

This page is general information, not advice.

Our take

A share of the freehold still comes with a lease

The phrase sounds like full ownership, but you normally still hold a lease, and its length still matters to buyers and lenders. You also take on responsibility for running the building. The common mistake is to skip the accounts, the insurance details and any planned works before buying.

OfferCheck gives a plain-English risk report on any UK address before you offer, including tenure, with every figure sourced. Use it alongside the questions on this page, and let your conveyancer review the lease and the company's documents.

Get OfferCheck

Our opinion, drawn from the facts on this page: not advice and not a forecast. We earn from OfferCheck reports and from introducing sellers to cash buyers, so weigh it with that in mind (see our disclosure). We are not authorised or regulated by the FCA.

Questions, answered

Frequently asked questions

What is share of freehold?
It means the leaseholders of a block jointly own the freehold, often through a company, while each still holds a lease on their own flat. GOV.UK says that for a flat you would need to buy a share of the freehold.
Is share of freehold better than leasehold?
It gives owners more say over the building but also more responsibility. Whether it is better depends on the lease length, the other owners and how the company is run.
Who pays for repairs in a share of freehold block?
The owners collectively, in the proportions the leases and the company set. Ask for the accounts and any planned major works before buying.
Can you get a mortgage on a share of freehold flat?
Lender attitudes vary. Some apply extra checks on the lease length and the company, so ask your broker or lender early.
Do leaseholders have a right to buy the freehold?
GOV.UK says you can ask your landlord to sell the freehold at any time, and a landlord selling the freehold of a block of flats usually must first offer it to the leaseholders.

Where this comes from

Sources

Last reviewed 4 November 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.

More on this

Keep reading