Title split

One title. Two homes. The parts beat the whole.

A "6-bed flat" that is really a 2-bed and a 4-bed sells at a blended price, because no lender likes the block and no family wants both. Buy the freehold, grant a long lease on each unit, and the parts are worth more than the whole — the uplift is legal structure, not bricks. This models the whole play: what the parts are worth, what the split costs, and both exits.

The block — one title today

Postcode Purchase price £ Works across the block £ Stamp duty £ (your figure)

The units hiding inside it

The split itself — paperwork, not bricks

Lease setup £/unit Freehold setup £ Contingency %

Typical: £1,500–2,500 per new lease (solicitor drafts a 999-year lease at a peppercorn), plus first registration and plans. Get a fixed quote — this is a commodity job for the right firm.

The split, judged

Give it a price and at least two units with values — the whole page recomputes as you type.

The rules that decide this play

Lender consent is the gatekeeper. You cannot carve leases out of a mortgaged freehold without the lender's written consent, and most BTL lenders say no. The standard route is bridge-or-cash in, split, then refinance the parts (or sell them). Price the bridge into your works figure.

Already self-contained beats needs-converting. If the units already exist as separate homes (own entrances, kitchens, baths — like a listing sold as "two self-contained flats"), the split is paperwork and this model fits. If you are CREATING the units, that is a conversion first — planning or PD, building regs, the lot — model the works in the Deal Analyser and come back.

Check the lawful use. Two flats that have existed for years may still be ONE dwelling in planning terms. A Lawful Development Certificate (~£100s, your solicitor applies) proves the established use — lenders on the exit will ask for it.

Tax is real money here. Two-plus dwellings in one purchase is a linked transaction for stamp duty (multiple-dwellings relief was abolished June 2024 — put your own advised figure in the box). Selling the parts is a trading profit or a capital gain depending on your structure. This page does not do tax advice; a £300 accountant call does.

You keep the freehold. After the split you (or your SPV) still own the freehold: you insure the block, recover it through the service charge in the leases, and hold a small income strip plus the reversion. Selling the freehold later to the leaseholders is a second, smaller exit.

Decision-support, not legal, tax or investment advice. Every figure is yours to set; verify with your solicitor before you exchange.