If you’re buying, selling, or leasing a flat in England or Wales, you’ll almost certainly need a lease plan. This is a detailed, scaled drawing that shows exactly which part of the building is included in the lease — from the rooms and corridors to parking spaces and storage units.
Getting the lease plan right is critical. A non-compliant plan is one of the most common reasons for HM Land Registry requisitions, and can add weeks or months to your transaction. This guide explains everything you need to know about lease plans for flat registrations.
When is a lease plan required? Any lease of more than seven years that is being registered with HM Land Registry must be accompanied by a compliant lease plan. This covers the vast majority of residential flat leases, which are typically granted for 99, 125, or 999 years.
1. What Is a Lease Plan?
A lease plan is a precise, scaled drawing that forms an integral part of a lease document. Its purpose is to clearly identify the demised premises — the exact part of the building that the tenant is leasing — and distinguish it from communal areas, the landlord’s retained structure, and other tenants’ units.
For flats, this typically means a floor plan showing the apartment layout with red edging around the boundaries of the leased area. The plan also needs to include a location plan showing where the building sits in the wider area, and may include additional plans showing parking, storage, or garden areas where these are included in the lease.
Unlike a title plan (which shows external boundaries on an Ordnance Survey map), a lease plan works at a much larger scale and shows the internal configuration of the property in detail.
2. When Do You Need One for a Flat?
You will need a lease plan when:
- Granting a new lease of more than 7 years: The most common scenario — a developer or freeholder leasing individual flats within a building.
- Converting a house into flats: Each new leasehold unit requires its own lease plan showing the specific demise.
- Registering a lease extension: If the extended lease changes or updates the demised area, a new plan is needed.
- Selling a flat where the existing plan is non-compliant: Older lease plans that do not meet current HMLR standards may need replacing.
- Varying a lease: If the lease is varied to include or exclude areas (e.g. adding a parking space), the plan may need updating.
3. What Must a Lease Plan Include?
Under Practice Guide 40, a lease plan for a flat registration must include:
- A floor plan at a suitable scale: Typically 1:100 or 1:200 showing the internal layout of the leased area.
- Red edging around the demised premises: Clearly defining exactly which area is being leased.
- A stated scale: The plan must show the scale used.
- A north point: For orientation.
- A location plan: Showing the building’s position, typically at 1:1250 scale, based on or referable to the Ordnance Survey map.
- Floor level identification: The plan must clearly state which floor of the building is being shown.
- Communal areas distinguished: Shared hallways, stairs, lifts, and other common parts shown in a different colour (often blue or green).
- Sufficient surrounding detail: Enough context for HMLR to identify the property on the OS map.
4. Understanding the Demise
The demise is the technical term for the area being leased. For flats, getting the demise right on the plan is arguably the most important element. The lease will describe in words what is included — and the plan must match that description exactly.
For a typical residential flat, the demise usually includes the internal living space within the walls of the apartment, and may also include balconies, terraces, or allocated parking and storage areas.
What is typically excluded from the demise: the main structure of the building (external walls, roof, foundations), communal hallways and staircases, service risers and shared utilities, and any areas retained by the landlord for maintenance access.
Critical: The verbal description of the demise in the lease and the red edging on the plan must be consistent. Any mismatch between the two is one of the most common reasons for a requisition on lease registrations.
5. Communal Areas, Parking, and Storage
Communal areas
Shared spaces such as entrance halls, corridors, staircases, lifts, bin stores, and cycle rooms must be clearly shown on the lease plan and distinguished from the leased area — usually with a different coloured wash or edging. This is essential for HMLR to understand the relationship between the demise and the rest of the building.
Parking spaces
If a specific parking space is included in the lease, it must be identified on the plan. This is usually shown on a separate site plan or ground floor plan with the allocated space numbered and edged appropriately. Where parking rights are granted over a general area rather than a specific numbered bay, this should be noted on the plan.
Storage units
Allocated storage units — whether in a basement, loft space, or external building — must also be identified on the plan if included in the lease. Again, these are typically numbered and shown on the relevant floor plan.
Roof terraces and gardens
Private roof terraces, garden areas, or balconies that form part of the demise need to be shown on the appropriate plan. Where the terrace or garden is at a different level from the flat, it should appear on a separate plan for that level.
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Get a Free Quote →6. FRI vs IRI Leases — Where the Red Line Goes
The type of lease determines where the red edging is placed on the plan. This is a point that catches many people out:
| Lease Type | Red Edging Position | Typical Use |
|---|---|---|
| IRI (Internal Repairing and Insuring) | Inside face of the walls | Most residential flats — the landlord retains the building structure |
| FRI (Full Repairing and Insuring) | Outside face of the walls | Whole buildings, commercial leases — the tenant is responsible for the entire structure |
For the vast majority of residential flats, the lease will be IRI — meaning the landlord retains responsibility for the main structure, external walls, and roof. The red edging should therefore be drawn on the inside face of the walls of each room that forms the flat, specifically excluding the structural elements and other common parts of the building.
7. Multi-Floor Properties
Where a flat spans more than one floor — for example, a maisonette or duplex — a separate plan must be provided for each floor level. Each plan should be clearly labelled to identify which floor is shown (e.g. “First Floor Plan”, “Second Floor Plan”).
This also applies where the lease includes areas on different levels, such as a ground-floor flat with a basement storage unit or a top-floor flat with a roof terrace. The plan for each level must show the relevant demised area at that level.
HMLR’s current approach to leasehold registrations means that for larger developments, the red edging on the tenant’s title plan may show only the outline of the building on the OS map — with the detailed floor plan used to identify the specific unit within the building. The lease itself must always be read alongside the plan to understand the full extent of the demise.
8. Common Mistakes with Flat Lease Plans
- Using a marketing floor plan: Estate agent floor plans are designed to sell properties, not for legal registration. They lack the precision, scale, and compliance features required by HMLR.
- Red edging on the wrong wall: Placing the edging on the external wall face for an IRI lease (or vice versa) will trigger a requisition.
- Communal areas not shown: HMLR needs to see the relationship between the flat and the rest of the building.
- Missing location plan: The detailed floor plan must be accompanied by a location plan showing the building’s position.
- Parking or storage not shown: If the lease includes these areas, they must appear on the plan.
- Floor level not identified: Particularly important for multi-storey buildings where the same floor plan layout may repeat.
- Plan does not match lease description: The most fundamental error — the plan and the lease words must agree on what is included.
9. Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a lease plan for a flat cost?
The cost varies depending on the complexity of the property. At Towers Richardson, we provide a fixed-price quote upfront based on the information you provide. Contact us for a free, no-obligation quote.
Can I use the floor plan from the estate agent?
No. Estate agent floor plans are marketing tools and do not meet HMLR requirements. They typically lack the correct scale, north point, and the precise boundary definitions needed for registration.
What if my existing lease plan is outdated?
If your lease plan does not meet current HMLR standards, it can be replaced with a new compliant plan. This is common when selling older leasehold properties or extending a lease.
Do I need a lease plan for a lease extension?
It depends. If the lease extension simply extends the term without changing the demised area, the existing plan may be sufficient. If the demise is being varied or the existing plan is non-compliant, a new plan will be needed.
How quickly can you prepare a lease plan?
We offer a standard 24-hour turnaround on residential lease plans. For large developments or complex commercial properties, we will confirm the timeline when quoting.
Need a Lease Plan?
At Towers Richardson, we prepare compliant lease plans for individual flats, entire residential developments, and commercial properties. Every plan is checked against Practice Guide 40 requirements and prepared using professional CAD software. We have maintained a 100% HMLR acceptance rate since 1994.
Get in touch today:
📧 info@towers-richardson.co.uk
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Or request a free quote online — we respond within 1 hour during business hours.