The House of Commons Library has just released a new report on Leasehold dwellings, 2023 to 2024

It can be seen here and says

Headline Figures: Leasehold in England 2023–24

• Total leasehold dwellings: 4.83 million (19% of total housing stock)

• Flats vs Houses: 72% flats (3.48m), 28% houses (1.35m)

• Tenure breakdown:

  • Owner occupied: 2.59m (54%)

  • Private rented: 1.96m (41%)

  • Social rented: 277,000 (6%)

• Freehold dwellings: 20.53 million

Regional Highlights

• London: Highest leasehold proportion at 38%; 95% of leasehold dwellings are flats.

• North West: Second highest at 26%, but with a higher share of leasehold houses (22%).

• Lowest leasehold levels: East Midlands (especially owner-occupied leasehold at just 6%).

Type and Tenure Insights

• Leasehold flats: 58% of all flats in England are leasehold.

• Owner-occupied flats: 91% are leasehold.

• Private sector flats: 82% leasehold.

• Social sector flats: Only 10% leasehold.

• Semi-detached and terraced houses more likely to be leasehold than detached houses.

Trends Over Time

• Leasehold houses decreasing: From 8% in 2021–22 to 7% in 2023–24.

• Significant drop in North West: Leasehold houses down from 28% to 22%.

• Impact of reforms:

  • Government moves since 2017 to phase out leasehold houses (e.g., Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill 2024, Ground Rent Act 2022) are showing early results.

  • Overall leasehold numbers plateaued after growing 17% between 2016–17 and 2021–22.

Statistical Considerations

• The estimate of 4.83m leasehold dwellings comes with a 95% confidence interval of 4.62m to 5.04m.

• The apparent slight drop from 4.98m in 2021–22 is not statistically significant.

Policy Implications

• Legislative action appears to be working, especially on leasehold houses.

• Regional disparity in leasehold prevalence and type suggests targeted policy responses may be needed.

• Consumer understanding of leasehold (especially in flats) and greater legal transparency remain ongoing challenges.