How many years should be left on a lease when you buy a flat?
Our rule of thumb: at least 80 years plus the years you expect to own the flat. Once a lease has 80 years or less left, the legal formula for extending it adds a share of the marriage value, so the cost rises sharply.
Lenders set their own minimum, and some also count the years that will be left when the mortgage ends. Get the exact figure in writing before you offer.
.JPG){kind=link}
Why 80 years is the line to watch
A lease extension under the law adds 90 years and cuts the ground rent to a peppercorn. The price is set by a formula, and when the lease has more than 80 years left on the day of the claim, the marriage value counts as nil.
At 80 years or less, marriage value counts. It is the extra value the new, longer lease creates, and the freeholder is entitled to 50% of it. GOV.UK says that once 80 years or less remain, the cost of extending increases significantly.
So check the years that will be left when you expect to sell or extend, as well as today's figure. A flat with 88 years left falls to 80 within eight years of you buying it.
Sources: Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993, section 56, Schedule 13, GOV.UK.
What lenders ask for
There is no single rule. Each lender sets its own minimum, and some test the lease twice: when the mortgage starts and when it ends.
| Mortgage term | TSB: 70 years at the start and 30 at the end | Family Building Society: 50 years at the end |
|---|---|---|
| 25 years | 70 years | 75 years |
| 30 years | 70 years | 80 years |
| 35 years | 70 years | 85 years |
| 40 years | 70 years | 90 years |
Rules from the lenders' broker criteria pages, checked on 19 October 2026. The years needed are our arithmetic from those rules. Criteria change, so ask your lender or broker.
A short lease also matters when you sell. Your buyer's lender will run its own test on a lease that is shorter by however long you owned the flat.
How to find out how many years are left
The figure in a listing may be rounded or out of date. Work it out from the documents instead.
- Ask the agent for the lease start date and length. The lease is granted for a term from a date, such as 125 years from 1 January 1990.
- Download the title register for £7. On a leasehold title, HM Land Registry's property register may show the date of the lease, the parties and its length.
- Get the lease itself if you need more detail. If the register says the deeds are filed, you can order a copy on form OC2 for £11 per document.
- Add the term to the start date, then count back from today. Your conveyancer will confirm the exact end date from the lease wording.
| Lease says | Ends | Years left today | Falls to 80 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 99 years from 25 March 1985 | 25 March 2084 | 57 years | Already at 80 or less |
| 125 years from 1 January 1990 | 1 January 2115 | 88 years | January 2035 |
| 125 years from 24 June 2010 | 24 June 2135 | 108 years | June 2055 |
Example leases, not real flats. Sources: GOV.UK, Search the register and Get copies of deeds.
Ground rent
For most new long leases granted on or after 30 June 2022, the Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Act 2022 limits ground rent to a peppercorn, which has no money value. For retirement homes the date is 1 April 2023.
The Act does not reduce ground rent on older leases. GOV.UK says that on a lease granted before 30 June 2022, ground rent is only due once the landlord has sent a formal written demand.
Check the lease for how and when the ground rent can rise. Lenders check it too: TSB, for example, accepts ground rent on flats built since January 2005 of up to £250 a year or 0.1% of the value, whichever is higher.
Sources: GOV.UK, Ground Rent Act guidance, TSB criteria.
Service charges
The service charge pays for running the building, and the lease sets what can be charged. Leaseholders can ask for a summary of the costs and see the paperwork behind it, such as receipts.
Before you offer, ask for the last few years' charges, whether there is a reserve fund and how much is in it, and whether any major works are planned or under way.
The landlord must consult leaseholders before charging any one leaseholder more than £250 for planned works, or more than £100 a year for a contract lasting over 12 months. A consultation in progress is a sign of a bill coming.
In a block with cladding or balconies, ask whether there is an assessment of the external walls. RICS's updated standard, in effect since 1 November 2026, says valuers should ask for an EWS1 form only where there is a clear reason.
Source: GOV.UK, Service charges and other expenses.
Leasehold reform: what is in force and what is not
The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 became law in May 2024, but most of it needs regulations to start. Only a few parts have. This is the position we found on 19 October 2026.
| Change | Position |
|---|---|
| No two-year wait before claiming an extension | In force since 31 January 2025 |
| 990-year lease extensions | Not in force. Flat extensions under the law still add 90 years |
| Marriage value abolished, with a new way to set the price | Not in force. The government consulted on the rates from 15 July to 21 October 2026 and has not yet set them |
| Freeholders' court challenge | Dismissed by the High Court on 24 October 2025. GOV.UK says the decision is under appeal |
| Ban on new leasehold houses | Not in force |
| £250 cap on ground rent for existing leases | Not law. The King's Speech in May 2026 included a bill for it. In January 2026 the government said that, subject to Parliament, the cap could start in late 2028 |
Sources: legislation.gov.uk, GOV.UK consultation, judgment, GOV.UK on the appeal, GOV.UK ground rent cap, King's Speech 2026.
The government says it cannot start the new valuation rules until it fixes some flaws in the 2024 Act. It plans to do that through a Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill, which had not been introduced to Parliament by 19 October 2026.
Our view: price a short lease on the rules in force today, and do not pay more in the hope that the reforms will make extending cheaper.
Before you offer
Leasehold is the norm in some places. It covered 91% of standard sales in Tower Hamlets and 88% in Westminster, mostly flats. In Bolton it was 64%, though flats were only 8% of sales, so most were leasehold houses.
Standard sales from 1 September 2024 to 31 August 2026, worked out by UK Property Check from HM Land Registry Price Paid Data. Each council page shows prices by property type.
Check what similar flats in the block sold for with our sold prices tool, and ask the agent how long their leases were. If one flat had a much longer lease, its price is not a fair guide to this one.
On a short lease, allow for the cost of extending and for lenders' rules when you work out how much to offer.
Ask the agent
- What is the lease start date and term, and how many years are left today?
- Has the seller started a lease extension, and will the notice pass to me?
- What are the ground rent and service charge, and how can each rise?
- Is there a reserve fund, and are any major works planned or under consultation?
- Who is the freeholder, and who manages the building?
- Has the block had an assessment of its external walls?
Related questions
Can I extend the lease as soon as I buy the flat?
Yes, if you qualify. Since 31 January 2025 you no longer need to have owned the flat for two years before you claim a lease extension under the law. The cost is still worked out under the current rules.
Can the seller start the lease extension for me?
Yes. The seller can serve the formal notice and pass its benefit to you with the lease when you complete. If the lease is sold without the benefit, the notice is treated as withdrawn, so your conveyancer needs to handle the transfer.
Who pays the freeholder's costs when I extend?
You do. Under the current law, the leaseholder pays the freeholder's reasonable costs of checking the claim, valuing the flat and granting the new lease, as well as their own adviser's fees.
What happens if a lease runs out?
GOV.UK says an expired lease does not automatically mean you have to leave, but you have fewer rights and protections. It advises getting urgent advice if a lease is about to end.
Sources
- GOV.UK, Extending, changing or ending a lease
- legislation.gov.uk, Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993, Schedule 13
- legislation.gov.uk, Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993, section 43
- legislation.gov.uk, Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993, section 56
- legislation.gov.uk, Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993, section 60
- legislation.gov.uk, Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024
- legislation.gov.uk, Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 (Commencement No. 2 and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2025
- legislation.gov.uk, Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024, Schedule 4
- GOV.UK, Leasehold enfranchisement valuation rates consultation
- The National Archives, R (ARC Time Freehold Income Authorised Fund) v Secretary of State [2025] EWHC 2751 (Admin)
- GOV.UK, Plain English explainer: extending your lease or buying your freehold (updated 7 September 2026)
- GOV.UK, Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Act 2022 guidance
- GOV.UK, PM: We're capping ground rents at £250
- GOV.UK, The King's Speech 2026
- GOV.UK, Draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill
- GOV.UK, Service charges and other expenses
- GOV.UK, Search the register
- GOV.UK, Get copies of deeds
- HM Land Registry blog, The ABC of title registers
- TSB Intermediary, Residential property criteria
- Family Building Society, Minimum remaining lease at end of term
- RICS, Updated standard for multi-storey residential buildings with cladding
- HM Land Registry, Price Paid Data