AQW 51438/22-27

Ms Connie Egan
Alliance Party
North Down

Tabled Date: 09/09/2026
Answered On Date: 22/09/2026
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Finance whether an application for ground rent redemption can be denied.

Answer:

The primary legislation that deals with the ground rents is the Ground Rents Act (Northern Ireland) 2001. This Act allows most homeowners of residential properties the statutory right to redeem their ground rent. However, certain property types are not covered by this statutory right to redeem. These include properties held under leases with a residuary term of 50 years or less, equity sharing leases, leases of agricultural or commercial property, leases from the National Trust or leases of flats.

S.4 of the 2001 Act provides a means to redeem the ground rent through a process that is operated by the Land Registry. This enables the redemption of ground rents in circumstances where the landlord cannot be found or perhaps is reluctant to engage with the homeowner in the process of redeeming the ground rent.

To redeem a ground rent under the 2001 Act, a property owner must first ascertain if their property qualifies. Then, they must apply to the Land Registry, in the manner set out in s.4 of the 2001 Act.

Once the Land Registry redemption process is completed, the Land Registry will issue a Certificate of Redemption which is proof that the ground rent has been redeemed. This forms part of the documents of title of the property. The 2001 Act does not provide landlords with a right of refusal of a redemption application to the Land Registry.