Leasehold reform: which changes are in force and which are still to come

Correction (25 September 2026): an earlier version of this article said the abolition of ground rents and reforms to lease extension pricing, including removing 'marriage value', came into force in spring 2026. That was wrong. Ground rents on most new long leases were limited to a peppercorn by a separate 2022 Act, and the 2024 Act's valuation reforms are not in force. See our corrections log.

Since 31 January 2025, leaseholders no longer have to have owned their home for two years before claiming a lease extension or buying the freehold. Since 3 March 2025, more buildings qualify for the right to manage, and in most cases leaseholders no longer pay the freeholder's legal costs when they claim it.

Ground rents are a separate matter. Under the Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Act 2022, most new long residential leases in England and Wales granted on or after 30 June 2022 can only charge a peppercorn — nothing — and the rule has applied to retirement homes since 1 April 2023. Leases granted before then keep the ground rent they set out.

The 2024 Act's bigger changes are not yet in force: 990-year lease extensions, removing marriage value (which is added to the cost of a statutory extension when a flat lease has 80 years or less left), a new valuation method, capped fees for leasehold sale information and the service charge transparency rules. The government says leaseholders in England will start to see service charge changes during 2027, and in September 2026 it was still consulting on the valuation rates. Until then, flat owners who qualify can claim a 90-year extension at a peppercorn ground rent under the existing law.

Buying or selling a leasehold home? Our leasehold conveyancing guide explains what your conveyancer checks and what the reforms mean for you.