The house of Commons Library has published a report on Leasehold housing in England: Statistics.

It can be seen here, and the briefing provides an overview of leasehold properties in England and Wales, detailing their prevalence, types, and the characteristics of leaseholder households, based on official estimates and HM Land Registry data.

How Many Homes are Leasehold? In 2023/24, there were an estimated 4.8 million leasehold homes in England. Flats are predominantly leasehold, while houses are much less commonly so.

  • Leasehold Flats: Leasehold is the standard for privately owned flats. Approximately 3.5 million leasehold flats exist in England. In 2023/24, an estimated 91% of owner-occupied flats and 71% of privately rented flats were leasehold. HM Land Registry data shows that 99% of flat sales in 2024 were leasehold.
  • Leasehold Houses: Only about 7% of houses were leasehold in 2023/24. These are more concentrated in specific regions, with an estimated 22% of houses in the North West being leasehold. The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 aims to restrict the sale of new-build houses on a leasehold basis, a policy that has already seen new leasehold house sales decline from 18% in January 2017 to below 1% by late 2023. Existing leasehold houses, however, continue to be sold as such, maintaining around 7% of all transactions.

Geographical Distribution: Leasehold transactions are most prevalent in constituencies with a high number of flats (e.g., London) and areas historically known for leasehold house sales (e.g., Liverpool, Greater Manchester, Sheffield).

Households in Leasehold Homes (Demographics & Finances): Data from the English Housing Survey (EHS) provides insights into leaseholder households in 2023/24:

  • Demographics: Around 50% of owner-occupiers in leasehold homes were one-person households, 26% were couples without children, and 13% had dependent children. Leasehold owner-occupiers tend to be younger than freehold owner-occupiers and are somewhat more likely to belong to Asian or Black ethnic groups.
  • Ground Rents and Service Charges: Leasehold owner-occupiers reported paying a median annual ground rent of £120 and a median annual service charge of £1,375. Service charges were more common for leasehold flats than houses.