New builds and warranties

The new flat is sold on a long lease. Does the survey calculate the ground rent, or only describe the fabric it could see?

Only the fabric it could see. The survey does not read the lease and does not calculate the ground rent reserved in it. For most new long residential leases in England and Wales granted on or after 30 June 2022, the permitted rent is a peppercorn, but that is a legal rule for the solicitor to apply to this lease, not a sum the surveyor works out on site.

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?

A new flat can look simple: a fresh lease, a developer landlord, a ground-rent sentence in the brochure that says zero or peppercorn. The rule buyers are reaching for is the Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Act 2022, which for most new long residential leases in England and Wales granted on or after 30 June 2022 limits the rent to a peppercorn. The word most matters. The surveyor does not decide whether this lease is one of the leases the Act regulates, does not read the reservation clause, and does not convert a brochure into a calculation. They describe roofs, walls, services and finishes that were visible. None of that looking is a ground-rent calculation.

Ask the solicitor to read the draft lease and say what rent is reserved, in words a lender can rely on. Do not ask the survey firm to confirm the peppercorn because the flat smelled of paint. If someone later extends or varies the lease, that is another document. The inspection you have does not compute the rent now and will not compute a future one. Keep the condition report for the new fabric, including anything unfinished, and keep the rent in the legal pack where a reserved sum belongs.

What should you ask your surveyor?

Did you read the ground-rent clause, or only the fabric?
Will you leave the 30 June 2022 rule to the solicitor to apply?
Which unfinished items are condition, as distinct from rent?

What are the typical next steps?

Ask the solicitor what ground rent the draft lease reserves.
Do not calculate that rent from the survey or the brochure.
Use the report for the new fabric you could see, including unfinished work.

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

If the brochure says peppercorn, has the survey confirmed it?

No. A brochure is not the lease, and the survey does not check either document's rent clause.

Does a new building mean the Act always applies?

Not from the survey. Most new long residential leases from 30 June 2022 are in the rule. Whether this lease is one of them is a legal question.