Like everyone else has said it is still the default for flats in this country so hard to avoid.
If you have enough money to choose between a leasehold flat & a little freehold house I'd definitely go for the second option.
Another one here who has had legal dealings with seriously dodgy freeholders, basically they are in the extortion business, no other reason to go around buying freeholds. I did win, and they didn't get to arbitrarily charge us thousands of quid for totally unnecessary and wildly overpriced work that was done to the building (by their mates / cousins or whatever) but it was an absolutely enormous pain in the arse and i wouldn't now have the time to do all the work that it took to do that legal bollocks.
Leasehold law is a hideous medieval mess though it is improving.
