Property Information
Ownership, tenure, council tax, and property details
Commonhold
Freehold flat ownership without a lease
Commonhold is a form of freehold ownership for flats and other units in a shared building. Each unit owner holds their unit outright, with no lease and no landlord. A commonhold association, owned by the unit holders, holds the freehold of the common parts. Commonhold exists only in England and Wales; Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own systems of flat ownership.
Council Tax Band
Yearly local charge set by valuation
Council tax is the yearly charge a local authority makes on a home to fund local services. Every home sits in a band, fixed by a historic valuation rather than its current price. The Valuation Office, part of HMRC since April 2026, bands homes in England and Wales; Scottish Assessors handle Scotland. Northern Ireland has no council tax and no bands, and charges domestic rates instead.
Freehold Ownership
Outright ownership of building and land
Freehold means owning a property and the land under it outright, with no landlord and no lease to extend. HM Land Registry keeps the freehold title, and any conditions attached to it, for England and Wales. Freehold applies in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scotland has no freehold and leasehold split, and homes there are simply owned outright.
Ground Rent and Service Charges
Annual leasehold costs beyond the mortgage
Ground rent is a payment a leaseholder makes to the freeholder for the land, and buys nothing in return. A service charge is the leaseholder's share of maintaining the building, its grounds and its insurance. Both are set by the lease, and the service charge varies each year with actual costs. Ground rent rules differ across the UK nations.
Leasehold Ownership
Ownership for a fixed term of years
Leasehold means owning a home for a fixed term of years, while a freeholder owns the land beneath it. Terms commonly run from 99 to 999 years, and ownership reverts to the freeholder when the lease ends. HM Land Registry records the tenure and the lease term in England and Wales. Leasehold exists in Northern Ireland too, but not in Scotland, where homes are owned outright.
Marriage Value
The 80-year threshold in a lease extension premium
Marriage value is the extra worth a lease extension creates in a flat. Below 80 years remaining, the leaseholder and freeholder split that gain equally. The leaseholder's half is added to the premium payable to the freeholder. Marriage value exists in England and Wales only, and never arises above 80 years.
Share of Freehold
Joint freehold held with the other flat owners
Share of freehold describes a flat held on a long lease, whose leaseholders also own the building's freehold between them. The freehold is usually held by a company in which each flat holds one share. HM Land Registry records both the lease and the freehold title in England and Wales. The arrangement is uncommon in Northern Ireland and does not arise in Scotland, where flats are owned outright.
Shared Ownership
Part purchase with rent on the remainder
Shared ownership is a part-buy, part-rent scheme for households who cannot afford a home outright. The buyer purchases a share and pays rent to a housing provider on the remainder. The home is held on a long lease, not a freehold, so the provider remains the landlord. Each UK nation runs its own scheme on its own terms.
Short Lease
Fewer than 80 years left to run
Leasehold homes in England and Wales with fewer than 80 years remaining are treated as short leases. The 80-year mark is a valuation threshold rather than a legal cliff edge, and the lease runs on regardless. Long residential leases in Scotland were converted to outright ownership, so the term does not arise there. Northern Ireland runs its own enfranchisement framework.