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Buying the freehold of a leasehold house

Making a claim

In this guide

Once you have the valuation, you can prepare to make a claim for the freehold. You do this by creating and serving a tenant’s notice.

Creating the tenant’s notice

We recommend you get a solicitor to create the notice for you. You do not have to include an offer price but have the option to.

The notice must include:

  • your name and address
  • a basic description of the property and its address to identify the extent of your claim
  • details of the lease (such as the date you acquired the lease, the term, and parties to it)
  • a statement that the property qualifies for enfranchisement under the Leasehold Reform Act 1967
  • either the proposed price or a statement that it will be determined under the terms of the Act
  • the particulars of the rateable value, or, if the lease was granted after 1st April 1990, a statement that no such particulars are applicable
  • the date, your signature, and the signature of any joint leaseholders

If you are unable to sign the notice personally your agent (a solicitor or someone you have officially authorised) can sign on your behalf.

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If the above requirements are not met, the notice may be invalid.

Serving the tenant’s notice

Serving the notice starts the formal process and locks in the valuation date. This means the price will be based on the property’s value on that date, even if prices increase during the process.

You or your agent must serve the tenant’s notice to the freeholder of the property and any other landlord with an interest in it.

You can:

  • serve the notice in person
  • post it to the landlord’s last known address in England or Wales

If your freeholder is missing

If you cannot find the freeholder, under the Leasehold Reform Act 1967 you can apply to the county court to buy the freehold of your house.

You’ll need to show that you’ve made all reasonable attempts to find the freeholder first. For example, you could use a professional investigator (enquiry agent), who can do a search and produce a report as evidence for the court.

The court can grant an order called a vesting order, to transfer the freehold to you. The price you’ll pay will need to be decided by the First-tier Tribunal in England, or the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal in Wales.

A solicitor can advise on what to do if your freeholder is missing and how to apply to the county court.

Last updated:
17 December 2025
Next review:
17 December 2027