The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024: what has taken effect, and what has not yet

By Instrukt, published by Joshua Giles. Updated 2 November 2026. How we write guides

Not legal advice. This page has not been reviewed by a solicitor.

The short answer

As of November 2026, some provisions of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 are in force, including removal of the two-year qualifying period for enfranchisement and extension claims, and changes to right to manage. The ban on new long leases of houses and the 990-year lease extension are not yet in force.

Which provisions are in force now?

Commencement checked: 2 November 2026 (legislation.gov.uk status notes).

Provisions of the Act have been brought into force by commencement regulations, and one by the Act itself. The table lists each one, with the instrument and date.

Provision	What it does	In force	Instrument
Section 27	Removes the two-year qualifying period before an enfranchisement or extension claim.	31 January 2025	SI 2025/57, reg. 2
Sections 49 to 52, and part of section 64	Right to manage: the non-residential limit on claims (s.49), the costs of claims (s.50), compliance with right-to-manage obligations (s.51), and no first-instance applications to the High Court in tribunal matters (s.52). Section 64 is in force only so far as it inserts section 20J into the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 for right to manage.	3 March 2025	SI 2025/131, reg. 2
Sections 114 to 116	Building safety remediation: steps relating to remediation of defects, remediation orders and remediation contribution orders.	31 October 2024	SI 2024/1018, reg. 2
Section 120	Interpretation: short names for other Acts cited in this Act. It is wholly in force.	Royal Assent	Section 124(1)

Each row was checked against the status note for the section, which cites the instrument shown. Provisions that are not in the table are not confirmed in force on this page.

Which provisions are not yet in force?

Several of the Act’s main leasehold changes are not yet in force. The legislation records them as prospective, and says each was “not in force at Royal Assent” under section 124(3). No commencement regulation is shown for them.

Provision	What it would do	Status
Section 1	Stops a person granting, or agreeing to grant, a long residential lease of a house, unless the lease is a permitted lease. It also restricts assignment of such leases in some cases.	Prospective, not in force
Section 2	Defines a “long residential lease of a house” for the purposes of section 1.	Prospective, not in force
Section 33	Changes the term of a lease extension from fifty years to 990 years for houses (Leasehold Reform Act 1967), and from 90 years to 990 years for flats (Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993).	Prospective, not in force
Section 34	Provides for lease extensions under the Leasehold Reform Act 1967 on payment of a premium at a peppercorn rent.	Prospective, not in force
Section 39	Amends the costs of enfranchisement and extension under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993.	Prospective, not in force

The commencement regulations made on 25 October 2026 list the earlier commencements (sections 27, 49 to 52, part of 64, and 114 to 116) and do not commence sections 1, 2, 33, 34 or 39 (SI 2026/1128, note as to earlier commencement).

What is scheduled to come into force?

Regulations made on 25 October 2026 bring the service charge, insurance, administration charge and litigation costs provisions into force in England in stages (SI 2026/1128). They apply to England only.

Date	What comes into force	Instrument
6 November 2026	Sections 54 to 57, 59 to 63 and 68, only for the purpose of making regulations.	SI 2026/1128, reg. 2
1 April 2027	Section 53 (fixed service charges), the rest of sections 54 and 57, parts of section 58, and the rest of sections 62 and 63 (litigation costs). Sections 62 and 63 do not affect proceedings issued before 1 April 2027 (reg. 6).	SI 2026/1128, reg. 3
1 November 2027	The rest of sections 55, 56 and 58 (service charge demands, accounts and enforcement) except for social landlords, and the rest of sections 59 to 61 (insurance and administration charges).	SI 2026/1128, reg. 4
1 November 2028	The rest of sections 55, 56 and 58, including for social landlords.	SI 2026/1128, reg. 5

What would the 990-year extension change?

Under the current law, a leaseholder with a qualifying lease under the Leasehold Reform Act 1967 is entitled to an extended lease on a fifty-year basis. Section 33(1) would replace “fifty years” with “990 years” in section 14(1) of that Act. For flats, section 33(2) would replace “90 years” with “990 years” in section 56(1) of the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993.

Section 33 is not in force, so the fifty-year and 90-year terms still apply for now. The peppercorn-rent extension for houses in section 34 and the costs changes in section 39 are also prospective. Whether a particular extension is available depends on its own terms and history, so take advice before relying on any change.

What should you check before relying on the Act?

Because the Act is brought into force in stages, each section needs checking on its own date. Before relying on a provision:

Check the status note for the section on legislation.gov.uk, and any commencement regulation it cites.
For a provision in force, confirm the date it took effect. For example, section 27 took effect on 31 January 2025.
For a prospective provision, treat it as not yet law, and do not assume a commencement date.

Questions

When did the two-year qualifying period for enfranchisement and extension claims stop applying?

Section 27 of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 came into force on 31 January 2025, under SI 2025/57, reg. 2.

Has the ban on new long leases of houses started?

No. Section 1 is prospective and not yet in force, so the ban is not yet law.

Has the 990-year lease extension started?

No. Section 33 changes the extension term from fifty years to 990 years, but it is prospective and not yet in force.

Did the right to manage rules change?

Yes, in part. Sections 49 to 52, and the right-to-manage part of section 64, came into force on 3 March 2025 under SI 2025/131.

Buying or extending a lease?

An independent solicitor you instruct can check which of these provisions apply to your lease, and on what date. Instrukt introduces independent SRA-regulated solicitors; it is not a law firm.

Speak to a solicitor

Sources

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Instrukt is not a law firm.