A freehold is where you own the property outright for an indefinite period of time. As a freeholder, you own the property and the land it's on. You'll only lose ownership of this house if you decide to sell it.  In contrast, a leaseholder only owns their property for a finite amount of time, although they can extend their lease term. In most leaseholds, you only own the property, with the land still belonging to the freeholder.  A leaseholder will have far less control over what they can do to the property and may also have to pay ground rent too.