freeholder

Leaseholders must pay an annual service charge to a managing agent or the freeholder for things such as building insurance and maintenance of communal areas.

Under the leasehold system, third-party landlords known as freeholders own the building and a leaseholder buys the right to occupy a flat within it for a fixed time period.

The government has now produced a remediation acceleration plan which it says will "get buildings fixed quicker, ensure rogue freeholders are held to account, and put the end in sight for affected residents".

Under the current system, leaseholders have to pay charges to a freeholder for services, including the maintenance and repair of communal areas and buildings insurance.

The BBC also spoke to freeholders on new-build estates - who own the house and the land it sits on - but are tied into private maintenance contracts for the upkeep of communal areas.