Leasehold
What does government guidance say about extending a lease once fewer than 80 years remain?
Government shared-ownership guidance says that when the remaining lease drops below 80 years it can be much more expensive to extend, and that a short lease can make selling or remortgaging harder. That warning is the published point. It is not a calculator for the flat you are buying, and a home survey does not count the years.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
What is the fuller explanation?
Ask the solicitor for the term, the start date and the years remaining, from the lease and from the Land Registry title. Then ask a leasehold specialist, and look at the Leasehold Advisory Service, which government pages point people towards. Do not let a surveyor, an agent or this site compute a premium. Law on leasehold reform has been changing. What is in force, and what a premium includes, is the specialist’s job to apply to this lease.
A short lease does not repair a roof and a long lease does not mean the roof is sound. Read the survey anyway. Lenders have their own minimum terms. Ask your lender once you know the years. We will not print a universal minimum, because it would be a guess.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Please confirm you did not assess the lease length.
- Which building defects would still matter if the lease were long?
- What should I take to a leasehold solicitor from the report?
What are the typical next steps?
- Get the years remaining in writing before you spend on specialist building reports.
- Ask the lender whether those years are acceptable.
- If an extension is part of your plan, get advice on the premium from a specialist, not from a condition rating.
Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.
Also asked about this
Does the 80-year point mean the flat is unsaleable?
The government wording is that it can be much more expensive to extend and that a short lease can make selling or remortgaging harder. That is not the same as unsaleable. People do buy them, with advice and at a price that reflects it.
Is 80 years the same rule in Scotland?
This warning is from a government page about a particular English shared-ownership scheme. Scottish tenure is different. Ask a Scottish solicitor. Do not carry the number across the border on faith.