An introduction to leasehold
Landlords and freeholders
Explainer
The freeholder owns the land and the building outright, while the landlord is the person you lease the property from. They can be one and the same, but only when the freeholder is the one who directly grants your lease.
It’s possible for the freeholder or the landlord to be:
- a person
- a company
- an organisation (for example, a local council, housing association or charitable trust)
Some properties have more than one landlord
In the simplest situation, your landlord owns the land and building and grants the lease directly to you. You have one landlord: they are the freeholder, and they are who you deal with.
But some properties have extra layers. An “intermediate landlord” (sometimes known as the “head lessor”) is someone who has a lease from the freeholder and then grants a lease to you. The freeholder in this instance is the superior landlord (often known as the “competent landlord”). The superior landlord is usually the one who has legal authority to grant a lease extension or sell the freehold.
Typical roles in leasehold
| Who | What they do | Flats | Houses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landlord (freeholder) | Owns the land and building. Usually, grants the lease to a leaseholder. Can be a person or a company. | Common | Common |
| Management company | Responsible for managing the building or estate. Owned and controlled by the freeholder or leaseholders. Can hire a managing agent. | Common | Sometimes (for example on new-build estates, retirement developments) |
| Managing agent | Hired to carry out the day-to-day management of the building or estate for the freeholder, management company or leaseholders. Usually not named in the lease. | Common | Sometimes (if shared areas exist) |
“Parties” to the lease
The parties to a lease are the people or organisations named in the lease who have legal responsibilities or rights in relation to the property. In most cases this means:
- you, the leaseholder
- the landlord (freeholder) – this can also be a company
- a mortgage lender – if you bought your lease on a mortgage
The landlord’s managing agent is not listed on the lease as they just work for the landlord and have no actual rights in relation to the property.
The listed parties on a lease can be out of date or incorrect. For example, if the mortgage has been paid off, the freehold has been transferred to someone else, or the landlord is a company that has changed its name.
Get confirmation of your landlord (freeholder)
As a leaseholder, you have the legal right to get formal confirmation of your landlord's (freeholder's) identity for free. You can use our template letters to help you do this.
- Last updated:
- 22 December 2025
- Next review:
- 22 December 2027