Leasehold
The block is run by an RTM company. Does the survey say you now own the freehold?
No. An RTM company running the block has not made you the freeholder, and the survey will not say that you now own the freehold. The landlord still owns the building. The flat stays on its lease. Right to Manage does not end the lease or cancel ground rent. It is not a share of freehold. The report you hold is about condition, not about the title.
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?
The hallway may be well kept and the demands may come from a company with the leaseholders' names on it. That is management. Share of freehold is a different arrangement, a share in a landlord company, and the flat remains leasehold there too. Right to Manage does not reach that result and does not wipe ground rent if the lease still reserves it. The surveyor does not read the title, does not see who owns the freehold, and does not convert tenure because the stairs looked managed. Leaseholders can take over management without the landlord agreeing and without proving bad management. Ownership stays where it was.
Ask the solicitor who owns the freehold, whether ground rent is still reserved, and what the RTM company is responsible for. The company collects the service charge and looks after communal areas and structure such as the roof, either itself or through an agent. The landlord's votes, if the landlord is a member, are capped at one third of the leaseholders' votes. None of those facts are ratings. Use the report to see whether the roof and the common parts match the story that management has been taken over. Do not use it as a title plan.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Will the report avoid saying the buyer owns the freehold?
- Did you inspect condition only, with the title left to the solicitor?
- Which parts of the building would the RTM company be looking after?
What are the typical next steps?
- Ask the solicitor who holds the freehold and whether ground rent remains.
- Do not describe Right to Manage as share of freehold.
- Read the roof comment as condition, not as proof of ownership.
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 leaseholders sit on the board, do they own the building?
No. The landlord still owns the building. The company manages it. Board seats are not the freehold.
Does Right to Manage cancel ground rent?
No. It does not end the lease and it does not cancel ground rent. The lease still has to be read.