Many purpose-built apartments and conversion type apartments tend to be leasehold, meaning most mortgage lenders will be happy to lend, as long as the lease is of a healthy length (Most mortgage lenders won’t lend unless there are at least 70+ years left on a lease). A property with a lower lease could also prove to be a good investment if it can be purchased at a price point to reflect the cost of a lease extension, either as part of the purchase or in the future during ownership. The main benefit with leasehold properties is that more often than not, residents will pay a service charge meaning that most repairs to a building are covered. With Freehold or Share of Freehold, there is often no service charge or management company, residents would be asked to contribute on an ad-hoc basis if repairs to the building were needed. For a freehold house, it would be entirely the responsibility of the sole owner to maintain the property.