Lease length checker
The number of years left on a lease quietly decides whether lenders will touch the flat, what it will resell for, and how much an extension costs. The big threshold is 80 years: cross it and marriage value applies. Enter your years remaining for the verdict.
The bands at a glance
| Years left | What it means |
|---|---|
| 90+ | Comfortable. Every lender fine; no urgency. |
| 83–90 | Fine today, but start planning: extending takes 6–12 months and the cliff is coming. |
| 80–83 | Act now. Serve the statutory notice before you cross 80 — it locks the valuation date. |
| 70–80 | Marriage value applies. Costlier to extend; buyers will price it into offers. |
| 60–70 | Many lenders decline. Extend before selling, or expect cash-buyer prices. |
| Under 60 | Mostly cash-buyer territory. Take professional advice before any move. |
Common questions
How long should a lease be when buying a flat?
As a rule of thumb: above 90 years is comfortable, 80 to 90 is fine but plan to extend, and below 80 years the price should reflect the extension cost, because marriage value makes extending materially more expensive from that point. Below 70 years many mainstream lenders decline, and below 60 you are largely in cash-buyer territory until the lease is extended.
What is the 80-year rule (marriage value)?
When a lease falls below 80 unexpired years, the landlord becomes entitled to half of the increase in the flat's value that the extension creates — called marriage value. It typically adds thousands to the premium and grows every year the lease shortens. That is why the standard advice is to start a statutory extension while the lease still has more than 80 years, or to price it into any purchase below 80.
Wasn't marriage value abolished by the 2024 reforms?
It is abolished in the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024, but that part of the Act is not yet in force. The new valuation scheme (no marriage value, 990-year extensions, prescribed rates) needs secondary legislation that had still not been consulted on by mid-2026, and freeholders' legal challenges are continuing. Every extension completing today is valued under the old rules. The part that IS in force: since 31 January 2025 you no longer need to have owned the flat for two years before claiming.
Should I wait for the reforms before extending?
It depends how close to 80 years you are. If you are above roughly 85 years, waiting is a reasonable bet: you lose little while the lease is long. Between 80 and 85, waiting is a gamble — if commencement slips past your 80th year (2027 is the optimistic case, 2028 the realistic one), you cross the cliff and pay marriage value under the old rules. Already below 80? The reforms would help you most, but every year of waiting also raises the old-law premium you'll pay if they slip again.
How much does a lease extension cost?
Three parts: the premium to the freeholder (from a few thousand pounds on a long lease to tens of thousands once marriage value applies), your professional fees (valuation roughly £600–£1,200, solicitor roughly £1,500–£3,000), and, on the statutory route, the freeholder's reasonable valuation and legal fees too. The statutory extension adds 90 years at a peppercorn (zero) ground rent.
Can I get a mortgage on a short lease?
Each lender sets its own floor. Common rules: a minimum unexpired term around 70 years at purchase, or that the lease must outlast the mortgage term by 30 to 40 years. High or doubling ground rents can also cause refusals regardless of length. A flat that fails these tests isn't worthless — but its buyers are mostly cash, and its price shows it.
Sources: Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024; The Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE); gov.uk, Leasehold property. Premium estimates use the current statutory valuation basis (capitalisation 6.5%, deferment 5%, graph-based relativity below 80 years) and are indicative only. General information, not legal or valuation advice.