Glossary: Freehold

Permanent and absolute ownership and tenure of a property (residential or commercial) and/or land with freedom to dispose of it at will but with no time limit as to how long the property/land can be held (in perpetuity). Freehold is the opposite of leasehold.

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Last updated: Aug 2nd, 2011

Relevant to: Buying

Leasehold

The right to hold or use assets (generally property, but also vehicles) for a fixed period of time at a given price, without transfer of ownership, on the basis of a lease contract. Leasehold ownership of a residential property is simply a long tenancy, the right to occupation and use of the flat for a specified period – the ‘term’ of the lease, which is fixed at the beginning and so decreases in length year by year and the property can be bought and sold during that term. When new, leases are for 99 or 125 years until its eventual expiry, whereupon ownership of the property reverts to the landlord.

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