Freehold purchase costs: the premium calculation, all professional fees, and a worked example for a typical UK leasehold house.
Buying the freehold of a leasehold house is usually cheaper than owners expect, but the final bill has several parts: the price paid to the freeholder, your own professional fees and the freeholder’s reasonable costs. This guide sets out what drives each part, gives illustrative figures and explains the legal position as it stands now.
If you own a leasehold house, the right to buy the freehold usually comes from the Leasehold Reform Act 1967. If you own a flat you cannot normally buy the freehold on your own: leaseholders in the building buy it together under the 1993 Act (see collective enfranchisement). The two-year ownership requirement was removed for both routes on 31 January 2025, so a new owner can claim straight away.
The price is a statutory valuation of the freeholder’s interest. Depending on the lease and the house, one of several valuation bases under the 1967 Act applies, so a specialist valuer will establish which one before pricing it. In broad terms the price reflects:
Using our calculator’s freehold method (5%; ground rent plus reversion, before any marriage value or other adjustment), we get:
| House | Lease left | Ground rent | Illustrative premium | Share of value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £350,000 | 85 years | £200 | about £9,500 | 2.7% |
| £320,000 | 78 years | £250 | about £12,000 | 3.8% |
| £500,000 | 75 years | £400 | about £20,700 | 4.1% |
| £250,000 | 60 years | £100 | about £15,300 | 6.1% |
So the price can be a few percent of the house value on a long lease, rising as the term shortens. These are estimates only, because the statutory bases, relativity evidence and rates will change the number, and a surveyor’s valuation should be obtained before you serve a notice. Our calculator’s freehold purchase calculator uses the same method.
These are indicative ranges based on typical specialist quotes, in line with our fee guide. A Tribunal case adds expert and hearing costs.
House: £320,000 | Lease: 78 years | Ground rent: £250/yr
Illustrative premium: about £12,000 | Your fees: about £2,400 | Freeholder fees: about £2,100 | Land Registry and searches: about £400
Total estimated outlay: about £16,900
Illustrative only, not a valuation. Real premiums depend on the valuation date, the statutory basis, rates, relativity and negotiation. Use our freehold purchase calculator and get a surveyor’s valuation before serving a notice.
The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 is law, but its main valuation changes are not in force. That includes abolishing marriage value and the new valuation rules. Until the government makes the regulations, prices are worked out under the existing rules. The draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill was published on 27 January 2026 and has not been introduced to Parliament. The government is consulting on valuation rates, and a Court of Appeal challenge by freeholder groups to marriage value abolition is pending. For the latest position see our reform tracker, and do not delay a purchase you need on the assumption that costs will fall. This article is general information, not legal advice.
The price is a statutory valuation of the freeholder's interest, mostly capitalised ground rent plus the reversion, and can be a few percent of the value of a house with a long lease and more as the lease shortens. On our calculator's method a £320,000 house with 78 years left and £250 ground rent comes to about £12,000, before any marriage value. Professional fees of roughly £4,000–£8,000 (including the freeholder's reasonable costs) come on top.
Not on your own, in most cases. Leaseholders in a block of flats can buy the building's freehold together by collective enfranchisement if they meet the tests, which include at least two-thirds of the flats held by qualifying tenants and at least half of them joining the claim. A house owner can usually buy the freehold individually under the Leasehold Reform Act 1967.
Normally yes: you pay the freeholder's reasonable professional costs as well as your own. The 2024 Act would stop leaseholders paying those costs on enfranchisement claims, but that change is not yet in force.
No. The two-year ownership requirement for lease extensions and freehold purchase was removed on 31 January 2025, so you can claim as soon as you own the lease.
Possibly, because the Act provides for abolishing marriage value and prescribing the rates used in valuations. But the provisions are not in force, no commencement date is confirmed, and the effect on your price depends on your lease. Do not rely on future changes when deciding whether to buy now.
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This guide is researched from official and primary sources. Check them directly before relying on any figure or date.
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Calculate Now →This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal or financial advice. Always consult a specialist solicitor and RICS surveyor before taking any action.
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