The Leasehold Reform Act 1967
The Leasehold Reform Act 1967 gave leaseholders of long-leased houses the legal right to buy the freehold or extend their lease, breaking the power of great aristocratic estates.
For centuries, vast tracts of urban land in the UK were owned by a few aristocratic families (like the Grosvenors and Cadogans). They rarely sold land outright, instead granting long leases (typically 99 years) where the tenant built the house but the land reverted to the aristocrat when the lease expired.
By the 1960s, many 19th-century leases were approaching expiration, threatening thousands of families with the loss of their homes. The Labour government intervened by passing the Leasehold Reform Act 1967.
Enfranchisement
This landmark legislation gave qualifying leaseholders of houses the statutory right to forcibly purchase the freehold from their landlord (enfranchisement) at a fair price, or to extend the lease by 50 years. This began the slow dismantling of the great leasehold estates' absolute power, though leasehold issues in flats remain highly controversial today.