How to Find Your Freeholder
Start with your latest service charge or ground rent demand, which by law must show the landlord's name and address. If it does not, ask the managing agent in writing, who must reply within 21 days, or buy the freehold title register from HM Land Registry.
Last updated by the Plymouth Block Management team.
1. Look at Your Service Charge or Ground Rent Demand
Under section 47 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1987, a demand for rent or service charge has to contain the landlord's name and address. Under section 48, the landlord must also give leaseholders an address in England and Wales at which notices can be served on it.
If a demand leaves those out, the service charge or administration charge it asks for is not treated as due until the information is supplied. The most recent demand is usually the quickest answer to who the landlord is.
2. Ask the Managing Agent, Who Has to Answer
Section 1 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 lets a tenant ask the person who collects the rent, or the managing agent, for the landlord's name and address. The request must be in writing, and the agent must reply in writing within 21 days. Failing to do so without a reasonable excuse is a criminal offence.
When the freehold is sold, section 3 of the same Act requires the new landlord to tell the tenants in writing of the change, so a recent sale should also have produced a notice.
3. Search HM Land Registry
Most freeholds in England and Wales are registered at HM Land Registry. Its online property search finds the title for an address, and a copy of the freehold title register costs £7 on GOV.UK. The proprietorship register, section B of the title register, names the registered owner and gives an address for them.
The flat's own leasehold title register refers to the lease and to the landlord who granted it, which helps where there is more than one level of landlord, such as a headlease between the freeholder and the flats.
4. If the Owner Is a Company, Check Companies House
Many freeholds are owned by companies: a residents' management company, a freehold investment company or a developer. The Companies House register is free to search and shows the company's registered office, its directors and its filing history. Where a company has been dissolved, its property usually passes to the Crown as bona vacantia, or to the Duchy of Cornwall if the company's registered office was in Cornwall. A dissolved company can sometimes be restored to the register, so check its status and dissolution date on Companies House before assuming the freehold has been abandoned.
Sources
Everything above is taken from these, not from a summary of them:
- Section 1, Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 legislation.gov.uk
- Section 3, Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 legislation.gov.uk
- Section 47, Landlord and Tenant Act 1987 legislation.gov.uk
- Section 48, Landlord and Tenant Act 1987 legislation.gov.uk
- Search property information from HM Land Registry GOV.UK
- Find and update company information Companies House
- Bona vacantia GOV.UK
Spotted something wrong, or something that has moved on? Email move@
Finding Your Freeholder Questions
How Do I Find Out Who Owns the Freehold of My Flat?
Check your latest service charge or ground rent demand, which must show the landlord's name and address; ask the managing agent in writing, who must answer within 21 days; or download the freehold title register from HM Land Registry for £7.
Does the Managing Agent Have to Tell Me Who the Landlord Is?
Yes. Under section 1 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 the agent or rent collector must give the landlord's name and address within 21 days of a written request, and failing to do so without reasonable excuse is an offence.
Are the Landlord and the Freeholder the Same?
Often, but not always. Your landlord is whoever holds the interest immediately above your lease. In most blocks that is the freeholder, but where there is a headlease the head lessee is your landlord and the freeholder is the superior landlord. A residents' management company can also be a party to your lease without being the landlord.
What If the Freeholder Cannot Be Found?
Where a landlord cannot be traced, sections 26 and 50 of the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 let flat owners apply to the court for a vesting order to buy the freehold or extend the lease. A solicitor will advise on it, but the searches above come first.
Related Pages
Leasehold vs Freehold
Freehold means owning the building and the land. Leasehold means owning the right to live there for a fixed number of years.
Read moreLease Extensions & Collective Enfranchisement
A lease extension adds years to a flat's lease, and collective enfranchisement lets qualifying leaseholders buy the freehold together.
Read moreWhat Is a Headlease?
A headlease is a lease of a whole building, granted by the freeholder to a company that then grants the individual flat leases beneath it.
Read moreLeasehold Management for RMCs, RTM Companies and Freeholders
Leasehold management is the legal side of running a block: what the lease obliges the landlord and each leaseholder to do, pay and seek consent for.
Read moreChange Your Block Managing Agent
Changing managing agent means the client company serves notice under the current agreement and the funds, records and compliance documents transfer to the new agent.
Read moreTalk to Us About Your Building.